The Shaggy Dog: Critic Reviews

Those allergic to lessons in improving family communication can draw pleasure from Robert Downey Jr., in prime crazypants form, as the lab's power-hungry evil genius.

Tim Allen is a prosecutor who is going, as it were, to the dogs in this revisiting of the old Disney film, which is far livelier than its namesake.

The Shaggy Dog may not make you howl, but it does offer a few bona fide belly laughs, which is more than the last few Tim Allen movies could boast.

Just when you thought Doogal set the lowest bar possible for a dog comedy, here comes The Shaggy Dog, a pointless remake of the 1959 Disney classic.

It's a pleasant surprise to find a movie that genuinely pitches itself at a child's level while also giving parents some real laughs.

Disney's tried-and-true slapstick material (est. 1959) is here given a heinously unimaginative interpretation by five screenwriters and a director who manages to squander the gifts of an absurdly overqualified supporting cast.

Watching a pack of dogs sniff Tim Allen's butt -- repeatedly -- is probably someone's idea of a good time at the movies. Not mine.

Shaggy Dog is a subpar remake of a subpar movie that can only spawn subpar remakes.

The story is too silly to play to older kids. And there are more than a few moments that may give parents of younger ones pause.

There is an age above which this movie is unnecessary, and it may be in the low double digits.

It's a typical hit picture remake, which is never a good sign.

In the end, The Shaggy Dog has much more bark than bite.

The Shaggy Dog is just what it wants to be -- wholesome, slapstick, family fun with nice animal rights and 'don't mess with mother nature' messages running beneath the surface.

Disney's remake of its 1959 flick The Shaggy Dog is pretty flea-bitten from the get-go.

The latest mutation of a franchise that Disney probably should have had spayed or neutered years ago.

To paraphrase the over used song employed in Disney's latest dismal recycling of The Shaggy Dog -- who let this dog out?

This is a Dog with heart.

This is a classic family fun fare, likely destined for sequelhood.

The unruly pack of subplots make The Shaggy Dog much more convoluted than it needs to be.

Manages to sail past many of the cliches usually found in this genre while throwing together a wild story line more apt for a new millennium.

The Shaggy Dog is a well-dispositioned but forgettable mutt without any new tricks.

Devoid of cleverness or anything approaching reinvention, the film relies on special effects and its cast, human and animal, for its limited appeal. Hopefully, it will be limited enough to spare us Son of the Shaggy Dog.

A surprisingly touching family comedy with real emotion.