# Air Bud (1997)

### reviewed by
Jamie Peck

    AIR BUD

    RATING: * (out of ****)

Walt Disney / 1:30 / 1997 / PG (gooey sentiment, overacting) Cast: Kevin Zegers; Wendy Makkena; Michael Jeter; Bill Cobbs; Eric Christmas Director: Charles Martin Smith Screenplay: Aaron Mendelson; Paul Tamasy

Disney's "Air Bud" tells a boy-and-his-dog story with a twist -- the pooch is quite an accomplished basketball player. Granted, for a family comedy, it's not a very funny or successful idea to begin with, but it doesn't seem to matter -- "Air Bud" is surprisingly solemn. Save for occasional moments of forced slapstick, the movie wags its tale with a straight face -- not a very enjoyable approach. If "Air Bud" had realized its own absurdity, then it possibly could have been better. Here, we're actually asked to cheer a moment when the dog marches out to save the big game, clad in two pairs of sneakers and even a jersey. Its number? K9. Yeah, whatever.

The movie opens as golden retriever Buddy (as himself) escapes from his current owner, abusive clown-for-hire Norm Snively (Michael Jeter). He ends up in Fernwell, Washington, where mopey new-kid-on-the-block Josh (Kevin Zegers) is trying to cope with the move and the recent death of his father. Buddy, Kevin. Kevin, Buddy. Once the dog proves his on-court prowess, Kevin's self-esteem rockets. They both win places in the school's basketball team, with the animal as their mascot. But before they can make it to the finals, Snively surfaces to reclaim Buddy.

Everything plays out just as one would think: Heavy on predictability, light on an actual story. The movie follows a calculated chain of events -- Kevin's gloom fades, Snively gets his comeuppance and Buddy contracts rabies and must be executed Old Yeller-style. Okay, that last one's a lie, but at least it would have been a quicker send-off than "Air Bud"'s courtroom climax -- no joke! There's even a faux-cute musical montage where a reluctant Buddy gets cleaned-up to "Splish Splash." Paint cans are spilled and newspapers are buried, all in the name of formula.

The end credits note that "No special visual effects were used in the basketball sequences of this motion picture." That very well may be true, and although to see a dog sink shots is quite a sight, a movie cannot exist on feat alone. But "Air Bud" doesn't seem to be interested in anything else. A friend of mine insists he saw Buddy a while back on a segment of David Letterman's "Stupid Pet Tricks." I can't think of a more appropriate connection -- this movie is a stupid pet trick.

© 1997 Jamie Peck E-mail: jpeck1@gl.umbc.edu Visit the Reel Deal Online: http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~jpeck1/

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