Common Sense Media Review
By Grace Montgomery
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Predictable animal caper has positive messages, hokey plot.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Ugly Benny
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When opening up their pet shop one morning, Sam (Timothy Oman) and Emma (Karen Tarleton) find a small, homely puppy left in their store. Knowing there's more to this pup than meets the eye, Emma takes in Benny, who soon becomes the store's beloved mascot, despite Sam's opinion that he's ugly. With Benny's help, the pair go about their business, selling animals and pet food to their motley group of regulars in their small town -- until one day when a young boy named Alex (Diego Josef) runs in to hide after stealing a carton of milk. To save him from getting in trouble, Emma and Sam offer Alex a job in the pet store. Alex is a natural salesman, and everything seems just about perfect until Alex stops coming into the store. Now Emma and Sam will need Benny's help to find out how to help Alex and save the day.
Is It Any Good?
UGLY BENNY is hokey and predictable, with over-the-top acting, small-town clichés, and a pretty slow plot. But it's a sweet, inoffensive film that does have some charm. The characters all are likable -- albeit a bit one-dimensional -- and there are a lot of adorable animals to enjoy. But some kids might be bored with the thin, slow-moving plot that focuses a lot of its time on the day-to-day workings of the pet store.
Parents no doubt will love the clean plot and positive messages about helping others and supporting those in need. And animal lovers will find a lot to enjoy, even if they find the story to be lacking.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stealing. Why did Alex steal the milk? Did he have a good reason for it? Is it ever OK to steal?
Why do you think Emma and Sam chose to help Alex? Why do you think it's important to give people the benefit of the doubt?
We see a lot of different kinds of pets at the pet store. Do you have a pet? What kind of pet do you have? What kind of pet would you like to have?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : July 7, 2015
- Cast : Diego Josef , Karen Tarleton , Timothy Oman
- Director : Richard Brandes
- Studio : Engine 15 Media
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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