Maniacally slapstick, utterly charmless and ultimately unfunny, Old Dogs is devoid of merit but slightly unique in PG entertainment. John Travolta and Robin Williams play aging bachelor sports-marketing magnates and co-dependent male BFFs who find their sleek lives up-ended when Williams discovers he has
children.
When “family” films often boast that old saw about the supposed inability to enjoy both a family and a career, Old Dogs is surprisingly non-judgmental about the characters’ jet-set lifestyle. Yes, there is the obligatory board-meeting/birthday party crisis, but Old Dogs never declares that you can’t enjoy the perks of both fatherhood and business. Interesting,
but that doesn’t mean that I liked it!
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.