Kids love it.
Firehouse Dog
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Equal parts dog adventure and father-son tale.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 6 and Up
The good stuff
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Firehouse Dog was written by Sandie Angulo Chen
Parents need to know that this doggy adventure includes unexpected dramatic elements -- like Shane's fear that his fire-captain dad will die. Known for ditching school and disobeying his father, Shane has behavioral and communication issues. He and his father also both deal with grieving the recent loss of a relative. A few fiery sequences may be too intense for very young kids, even though no one gets hurt. As for canine antics, Rex is so pampered that he's even set up with three female poodles waiting on a doggy bed. But he doesn't indulge, instead running to help save people from a fire.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about how the movie deals with gender roles. When Pep shows up at the party in a dress, her friends act surprised that she looks like a girl. Is being a firefighter only for boys? Also, what messages does the movie send about society's values by contrasting Rex's Hollywood life with his adventures as a fire dog? Kids, would you rather be a Hollywood star or a firefighter? Why? Can you think of other movies that feature heroic dogs?
Have you seen it? Review It!
More on Firehouse Dog
What’s the Story?
Shane (Josh Hutcherson, whose considerable on-screen charm and expressive face make him destined for at least an entire adolescence in Hollywood) is asked by his fire-captain dad (Bruce Greenwood) to take care of an outgoing mutt who was saved from a local fire. But Dewey is no ordinary dog -- he's really Hollywood top dog Rex, star of such blockbusters as The Fast and the Furriest and Jurassic Bark. Presumed dead after a film stunt gone awry, Rex starts to dig his new life as Shane's -- and later the firehouse's -- wonder dog.
Is It Any Good?
FIREHOUSE DOG is a sweet enough pooch pic with just enough laughs -- and heart -- to save it from the formulaic mediocrity of many family-friendly flicks. While the movie's marketing emphasizes all of Rex's dog tricks -- and there are plenty -- Firehouse Dog also touches on some heavier themes. Shane and his dad are still mourning the death of a relative who died in a mysterious fire. Shane skips school and disobeys his father's rules, and the captain's squad is quickly devolving into the fire department's "last on the scene" joke.
But fear not, families, it's still a kids' flick -- so Shane, Rex, and the eclectic crew of firefighters eventually come to the rescue. Before the final fire is put out, father and son have a touching heart-to-heart, and Rex decides that living like a star (one whose celebrity extends to tabloid gossip about his dalliances with Paris Hilton's Chihuahua, no less) is nothing compared to being a hero. And that's not a bad message for media-saturated kids ... or their celebrity-obsessed parents.
Movie Details
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox, Director: Todd Holland
Run time: 111 minutes
Theatrical release: 04/04/2007, DVD release: 07/31/2007
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action peril, some mild crude humor and language.
Run time: 111 minutes
Theatrical release: 04/04/2007, DVD release: 07/31/2007
MPAA Rating: PG for sequences of action peril, some mild crude humor and language.
Our Members Say
See all 31 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 6 and give it
Good family film
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I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
Perhaps not for sensitive kids.
My son was 9 or 10 when we saw this and he found the fires too scary and consequently didn't enjoy the movie,
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I rate this title on for age 8 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate language
Intense,but wonderful family film !
Firehouse Dog is an intense,but a wonderful family film that is sometimes funny and scary.The story starts off as lonely lost movie star dog named Rexxxxxx and a lonely 12year old boy named Shane.Rexxxxxxx and Shane finnally met, but Shane hates the dog and calls him a mutt a bunch of times. As Shane grows on for the dog he wishes he hadn't met Rexxxxxxx. In the middle/ end Shane grows on to likes dog. There's more to it , but I don't want to spoil the whole story.There is some pretty intense fire sequences that kids under the age of 7 will be frightened . There is some brief rude and crude humor/behavior between Shane (rude) andRexxxxx/Dewey (crude.)there is some sad scenes where we hear that Shane's uncle died of an arson like fire from some bad guy.There is very brief mild language that include two - three uses of the h word and one use of crap (mostly used by the firefighters)(crap is used by Shane)and some mild insults that include dumb, stupid, jerk,and mutt which is used 7-10 times(used by Shane.)This is a perfectly enjoyable family film for ages 8+ because of its intense fire sequences and sad death character references, and brief mild rude and humor/behavior and very brief mild language/insults and three uses of two cuss words
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Could work for older kids . . . not for younger ones . . . **language**
I am a teacher at a Christian school and wanted to use this movie for my kids during Fire Safety Month. I started showing it in class today (not thinking anything of it, because it was labeled a "kids" video) and in the first 25 minutes of the movie the words "dog from hell," suck," and "butt crack" were used. In my opinion those words are completely inappropriate!!!
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I rate this title on for age 7 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
pretty good
I'ts acctually an okay movie. It's something I picked up on the discount rack at the movie store for like 99 cents, and it was okay. Nothing innapropriate except fire scenes which might scare little kids. I may watch it again, I dont know. =) I'll give it 3 stars but if you're looking for a excellent movie job, you may want to look elswhere.
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I rate this title iffy for age 8 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
ok movie
I thought it was an ok movie but it had the amazing actor josh Hutchinson and it had a cute dog but it was a little on the boring side
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
firehouse dog
firehouse dog was a good movvie and funny too!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
Mostly Great!
I thought it was a little much to have the dog defecating in the stew. The "anything goes" mentality in Hollywood is really bothersome. The "harem" of dogs for Rexxx was a poor addition as well. The movie would have been 5 stars without these two additions.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Surprisingly nice
Went to the movies with my 2 kids (9 and 7) to see The Last Mimzy, which wasn't playing anymore. I asked at the ticket counter if they had information about this movie, like why it was rated PG, and they showed me a great binder full of information (FYI for parents). I was pleasantly surprised by the humor, fun and good values that were in this movie. Even the idea of the firehouse that was going to be closed down showed team-spirit and what working together with friends can achieve. A little too much potty humor for my taste, but my kids thought the dog farting was funny. Not sure that the romantic story lines were even necessary, and the commercialism for Apple products was huge !(iPod, computer, etc.) Overall, though the story was good and had lots of action.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Good Movie
This movie is about a dog that helps out firefighters.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Good family movie
This was touching and had more of a plot than I expected. It is a great movie for dog lovers.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
its a great movie
MUST SEE MOVIE !!!!!!!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Nice
We have 4 children and this movie entertained them all. Aside from some inaccuracies when depicting Firefighting(my husband is Fireman) it was money well spent. We had a nice afternoon at the movie and a few good laughs.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
a grat movie i loved it pepole will lagh
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I rate this title off for age 0 and give it
i cried
hlfjjdj.
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
Mothers should have a sense of humor too!
While most mothers at the theater where I watched this movie gasped at some of the stuff in it(poop in the pot scene). I, myself, that it was funny. When you have boys, you have learned to take this kind of stuff with a grain of salt. Let your hair down and laugh people! I thought the movie itself was funny in some areas, quite serious in others. My 5 year old loved it of course!
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
i thought this movie was a little dull
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Ratings at a Glance
| 33% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 33% | of parents say it's too violent |
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