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First Dog
A foster boy is befriended by a lost dog who turns out to belong to the President of the United States. The boy decides to run away from the foster home to return the canine to the White House -- "Because it's the right thing to do!"
Release : | 2010 |
Rating : | 5.1 |
Studio : | First American Cinema, |
Crew : | Director of Photography, Director, |
Cast : | Eric Roberts Eliza Roberts John-Paul Howard Tommy Lister Jr. Priscilla Barnes |
Genre : | Drama Comedy Family |
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You won't be disappointed!
hyped garbage
Don't listen to the negative reviews
best movie i've ever seen.
Eric Roberts playing the president of the United States?!? That's some really bizarre casting. As it turns out, the top billed Roberts only has about fifteen minutes of footage in the entire movie, and given the general quality of the movie, he got lucky being given just a small part. Except for Tommy "Tiny" Lister, who gives a surprisingly warm and likable performance as a trucker who befriends the youthful protagonist, the level of acting in this movie is quite dire. But in fairness to the cast, they weren't working with a professional script or direction. The story is really garbled at times, seemingly missing whole scenes or linking footage that might have made things make more sense. Also, the screenplay can't make its mind whether the title mutt is intelligent or dumb. Mostly dumb, as it turns out, like the human characters, some of who could have ended the story much sooner if they were able to think logically. As for the direction, it suffers from bad continuity and a really cheap feeling. I know this movie was aimed at young children, but I think even the target audience will see this movie doesn't have all of its marbles.
Eric Roberts plays the type of Hollywood-created dream President that should never have to win a second term. With a lovely wife, a cute dog, and a public stance on Global Warming, who'll dare to run against him? Now back to that FIRST DOG.Teddy, played by Little Bear, is an adorable highly professional Blue Heeler owned and trained by the film's director, Bryan Michael Stoller. Little Bear has the making of a real canine star – each expression is (or seems) heartfelt and personal, especially when, after an assignation attempt at his owner, he gets loose and is found by a melancholy foster child who can't fit in anywhere.Danny, played by newcomer John-Paul Howard, finds a particular solace with the lost mutt. Both feel abandoned, accidentally or otherwise; but thankfully there's a phone number on Teddy's American Flag tag leading to The White House. After a failed attempt to call-in the recovery, Danny and Teddy hitchhike to Washington, making this a bonafide road movie.While some of the characters along the way, from bickering car-crashing teens to a dangerous gun-wielding white trash couple And situations like our doggy hero almost getting a lethal injection at the pound might not be suitable for really young children, perhaps a more logical target audience are pre-teens (or near pre-teens) young enough to learn something and not too old to shrug off a boy-and-his-dog tale. And adults can enjoy the suspense, which the director wields nicely.Tiny Lister's working class truck driver is a friendly protagonist on the journey, Eric Robert's wife Eliza is the kindhearted First Lady, and while you may yearn for more input from Teddy as a solo character with more obstacles to overcome alone, like any faithful best friend he's always there, with a soulful glance and even a smile, to make Danny – and his quest for a home and purpose – really matter.For More Reviews: www.cultfilmfreaks.com
The President of the USA (Eric Roberts) is excessively fond of his dog, Teddy. With good reason, Teddy is a charmer, even though the secret service men don't like him too much. But, one day when the President is on a visit to another state, Teddy gets out and runs away. No! He ends up on the west coast where foster child Danny finds him. Although Dan's foster mother (Priscilla Barnes) is kind, Danny knows to hide the canine from her. Also, the young lad sees from the dog's tags that he is the property of the President. Up for adventure, Danny decides to cross country and return the dog personally. Hitching rides with nice truckers and not-so-nice hucksters, Danny almost makes it. But, during the last leg, Teddy again sprints away and is captures by the DC dog catchers while Dan is taken to the police station. Will there be a happy hound ending? This is a great film, for the most part. The acting is good, the scenery is lovely, and the direction is active and fun. However, there are a couple of elements that might give parents pause. First, one of the couples that give Danny a ride express violence toward each other, with the wife hitting the husband quite a bit. Ouch. Then, near the end, Danny's juvenile detention place looks incompetent. Finally, Teddy is almost put down, where a doctor raises the deadly needle and where another man sings Dead Dog Walking. Not my idea of tasteful or family-friendly, this is. However, if your family loves animal movies and you have a talk with the kids before hand, this is almost certainly a winner for the next family flick night.
Charming family movie! Watched this at Little Rock Film Festival with a full audience (around 300 people). Everyone cried and laughed, a real feel-good movie! The film screened at the Clinton Presidential Library. We went to see the film again the following Thursday and it was even better the second time we saw it! We want to see this movie when it comes out in theaters. My kids said they can't wait to watch it again. We also all loved the original Dolly Parton songs, and even heard Willie Nelson singing the chorus on one song with his daughter Paula Nelson who also co-stars in the film. I wonder if they'll release a soundtrack as well. The music score by the composer was also great -- sounded like a big orchestra! The best family movie we've seen in a long time. If you have a heart -- you'll love love this movie!