Movie Review - Show Dogs

Show Dogs *½ (out of 5) (PG) No matter how enticing this live-action, kid-friendly comedy looks from the ads, don’t be fooled. It’s not funny. It’s not fresh. Little ones may be amused by the visual aspects, but the adults accompanying them will feel trapped. Will Arnett plays an FBI agent reluctantly paired with a police dog for an undercover task at a Las Vegas dog show to trap some international smugglers. This sort of premise has worked before. Turner & Hooch was a major early hit for Tom Hanks before the cascade of nominations and awards began rolling his way. The same could be said for Jim Belushi’s K-9, but for its less worthy sequels.

This script even dares to mention the former, while falling waaaay short of its heart and humor. There are a few chuckles to be had. Even so, those who’ve seen any of the zillion moving-mouth talking animal comedies gathering dust on shelves will wonder why they bothered making this one. My guess is that they sold Vegas on the concept before the script and made their money from showcasing a bunch of casinos among their locations. That’s a safe bet for you. (5/18/18)