Robo-Dog

age 8+

Live-action comedy has disturbing scenes, dumb story.

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Review Date: January 4, 2016
Rated: NR
Genre: Family and Kids
Release Year: 2016
Running Time: 90 minutes

Robo-Dog gallery

What parents need to know

Educational value

Meant to entertain, not educate.

Positive messages

Attempts to promote dealing with grief in a positive way. Sneaky, greedy people with no compassion lose out to those with principles.

Positive role models

Most adults are dim-witted, fawning, or greedy and selfish. Parents are seemingly loving and compassionate but often misguided in their behavior and advice; they function with little insight despite their desire to do the right thing. No ethnic diversity.

Violence & scariness

A beloved dog dies (off camera) early in the film, in a wholly unpleasant way. (Spoiler alert: the dog dies of heatstroke after being trapped in a hot attic.) Cartoon action in numerous scenes: Villains fall, are electrified briefly, bump into objects, catapult into a Dumpster, and so on. Suspenseful climax in which an explosion that might blow up the town is imminent.

Sexy stuff

Not applicable

Language

Some rude humor: A dog tells a boy that his female friend "may one day sniff your butt." A man making awkward, mildly suggestive motions toward a dog is called "a pervert."

Consumerism

Not applicable

Drinking, drugs, & smoking

Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Robo-Dog is a live-action comedy about an 11-year-old boy whose father tries to replace his deceased beloved pet with a robotic dog. "Dog," with whom the boy has a warm and loving relationship, dies tragically early in the film (off camera), but it's an extremely disturbing death and is caused, in part, by the boy making a small mistake. Farcical cartoon action -- falls, electric shocks, crashes, chases -- and an attempt to build suspense with an impending explosion are all played for humor. Bad guys are silly, over the top, and never truly threatening. In one mildly offensive scene, which will go over the heads of most young kids, a dog-napper appears to be molesting the robotic dog, and a passerby yells "pervert." Low-budget, clumsy effects (far from "special") attempt to show a real dog as a robotic one, and it's always unconvincing, and even a bit creepy, when the furry robotic dog body is shown headless on a lab table. The constantly changing tone, from grief and sadness to wild dog-napping antics and back again, is confusing and diminishes any possible emotional connection to the characters.

What's the story?

After a tragic accident, for which Tyler Austin (Michael Campion), age 11, feels responsible, his eccentric inventor dad Tom (Patrick Muldoon) creates a robotic dog for him in ROBO-DOG. With a superbattery at its core, Robo-Dog and its many attachments can work miracles, including fending off some corporate wrongdoers, headed by Mr. Willis (Wallace Shawn), who'd do just about anything to retrieve that miraculous superbattery. But can the sweet-talking robo-dog help Tyler forget the beloved pet Tom is trying to replace? It's a question answered very soon when the wrong-doers escalate their efforts, and it appears that the town is in jeopardy from a massive explosion of their making.

Is it any good?

QUALITY

It's highly unlikely kids of any age would be entertained, edified, or even slightly moved by this very dumb story in the hands of amateur filmmakers, unless a boy finding his canine BFF in an attic dead from heatstroke is a story starter to your liking and ham-handed acting and lame special effects are your cup of tea. The audience doesn't actually see the boy discover his dead dog, but the mistake that triggers the tragedy and a quick flash of a thermometer in a small attic space announces what is to come. And Tyler is allowed to grieve for a whole weekend before his parents ask if he wants a new pet. These events are topped only by a few semi-offensive sight gags (the worst of which involves a predator appearing to sexual molest a dog, and the best of which is the same predator revealing his undershorts decorated in red hearts). The only saving grace is Olivia d'Abo trying to give a calming performance surrounded by ineptitude of grand proportions. Unfunny, emotionally empty, and relentlessly stupid, the movie is an all-around miss.

Families can talk about...

Families can talk about how the loss of a pet has great impact on our lives at any age. If you've ever experienced such an event, how did you cope with it? What did you find that helped lift your sadness? How would you comfort a friend grieving over a pet?
Business people are often depicted in movies for children as greedy and/or foolish. How does such portrayal influence your attitude about people who work in the business world? Why is it important to recognize such stereotyping? Describe someone you know in any business, large or small, who is good, is honest, and makes a contribution to your community.
It's difficult to combine comedy and tragedy in one movie. Did this movie succeed in finding a balance between the funny and the sad? Why, or why not?

Movie details

DVD release date:	January 5, 2016
Cast:	Patrick Muldoon, Michael Campion, Wallace Shawn
Director:	Jason M. Murphy
Studio:	RLJ Entertainment
Genre:	Family and Kids
Topics:	Cats, dogs, and mice, Robots
Run time:	90 minutes
MPAA rating:	NR

This review of Robo-Dog was written by

Renee Schonfeld

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are conducted by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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