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Parents' Guide to

Good Boy!

By Nell Minow, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Not particularly imaginative, but not the worst.

Movie PG 2003 88 minutes
Good Boy! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 9+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Mom and movie lover
Mom and movie lover Parent of 9 and 11-year-old
September 26, 2009
age 5+

Excellent family film

This was an excellent Family Movie Night flick. It was fun, the kids loved hearing the dogs talk. What could've been a downer movie with a lonely child turned into a silly, fun, flick with the boy helping his dog friends and making some people friends.

This title has:

Great messages
Kimmie_777
Kimmie_777 Adult
April 9, 2008
age 13+

Would have been great if not for the "Laughing Gas"

I went to see Good Boy not because of what I heard, but because we have an Italian Greyhound and wanted to see one in a movie. My daughter enjoyed the dogs but I was APPALLED to see the dogs get "tipsy" and run blurry-eyed, giggling around after the aersol can in the garage get knocked over. I don't think the young viewer can associate the difference between "laughing gas" and regular gas and aerosols that are found in a garage. We lose so many kids to "huffing" gas and this should not be shown in a humourous light to children. I found this to be utterly irresponsible and will not recommend this movie to any viewers with children unless the scene is removed from the film.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In GOOD BOY, Owen (Liam Atkins) is the only child of loving but preoccupied parents (Molly Shannon and Kevin Nealon). He has been working hard walking dogs all summer long in order to earn the right to get a dog of his own. He picks a dog from the pound and names him Hubble. But Hubble turns out to be an inspector from the Dog Star who has been sent to earth to see how well the dogs are doing in establishing dominion over the planet. If not, all the dogs on the planet will have to go back to the Dog Star for retraining. The dogs try to persuade Hubble that they do control humans ("You don't see us picking up their poop!"). When that doesn't work, they try to figure out a way to fake it so that when the ruler of the Dog Star arrives, she will let them stay. Meanwhile, Owen needs to find a way to deal with some bullies and to make friends with a dog-loving girl named Connie (Brittany Moldowan).

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (8 ):

Good Boy is a not-so-good movie, but it's not so bad, either. It's a watered-down canine version of ET. It is not particularly imaginative and it goes on too long, dragging through the last half hour. But it has a cute kid and some even cuter dogs. The children at the screening I attended laughed and "awwwed" and applauded, and I found myself smiling a couple of times, too. That makes it a mild little entertainment suitable for a second-grader's birthday party outing.

Atkins has a nice screen presence and a terrific smile. Shannon and Nealon are wasted in under-written roles. The script saves its best moments for the dogs, and top-notch stars lend their distinctive voices to the dog characters. Highlights include Matthew Broderick as Hubble, Vanessa Redgrave as the ruler of the Dog Star, along with Cheech Marin, Carl Reiner, Delta Burke, and Donald Faison.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why it was hard for Owen to make friends and why Connie kept hanging out with the two bullies. What makes people act like bullies?

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