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The Dog Who Saved the Holidays
Common Sense says
- PG
- 2012
- 87 minutes
Parents say
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that The Dog Who Saved the Holidays is a family Christmas comedy that relies heavily on recurring flatulence in lieu of actual punch lines. There are some insults ("don't be so thick" and "dummy") as well as mild violence (a mobster makes a verbal threat to cut off the thumbs of some men if they don't commit a burglary for him). There are some cute montages of dogs frolicking and some positive lessons about the importance of family, but fart jokes dominate.
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What's the story?
In THE DOG WHO SAVED THE HOLIDAYS, the Bannister family and dog Zeus (voiced by Joey Lawrence) visit Aunt Barbara (Shelley Long) for the holidays, where she gives them a new puppy named Eve. While the family is ensconced in some classic holiday bickering, the puppies compete for favorite family pet, and a team of burglars led by Ted (Dean Cain) case the joint in the hopes of a holiday score.
Is it any good?
Nothing wrong with a little bawdy holiday action, but The Dog Who Saved the Holidays is really just a poor man's Home Alone. It relies too heavily on tired tropes (the nagging pregnant wife, the insensitive husband) and fart jokes to really pull off what could be a cute, if sentimental, holiday movie that owes its best scenes to Shelley Long.
Kids who like dogs may enjoy the plentiful scenes of puppies frolicking at the beach -- though you could also accomplish this with a few well-chosen YouTube compilations -- but parents may be wary of the endless flatulence jokes and stale stereotypes -- and, if not, even the plodding burglary plot will bore.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about feeling left out. Have you ever felt like a sibling or a pet got more attention than you? How did you feel? What did you do about it?
Competition among siblings or pets is healthy but can get out of hand. Do you know friends or siblings who compete? How do they behave? What are they competing for? What are some other ways to get more attention from parents?
The family bickers a lot in the film. Does your family argue? How do you deal with it? How does it make you feel?
Movie details
- On DVD or streaming: December 4, 2012
- Cast: Dean Cain, Elisa Donovan, Joey Lawrence
- Director: Michael Feifer
- Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Adventures, Holidays
- Run time: 87 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: Rated PG for mild rude humor and some language.
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.