The cast: Buddy, the dog
The director: Charles Martin Smith
The storyline: A dog helps an underdog basketball school team win.
The bottomline: Dog-lovers delight!
Yes, Buddy the dog, not just fetches ball, he also puts it in the basket.
What’s new? We’re talking about basketball.
No one knows how though.
But, an introverted 12-year old Josh (Kevin Zeggers), who has just moved into town, discovers a golden retriever (who he names Buddy) in an abandoned basketball court. There begins a friendship which would make girls go ‘Awww’ and toddlers go ‘oooh.’
Yes, the movie hall is a haven for kids. Even those too young to understand or speak the language seemed to be enjoying Buddy’s antics thoroughly. You can’t miss the infectious energy in a hall reverberating with excited babblings.
Disney’s ‘Air Bud,’ made in 1997, tries to capitalise on America’s passion for the game but the film’s true strength comes from what Buddy and his talent. No special effects were used in filming the basketball scenes involving Buddy, the end-credits mention.
Director Charles Martin Smith manages to create a few moments in the film that strike a chord, especially towards the end when he cashes in on the dog-kid bond for sentiment.
The evil clown (Michael Jeter), who comes to claim his pet back, gets the same treatment as the thugs in ‘Home Alone’. That done, the dog helps the underdogs win!
If you could deal with the basketball scene in ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ where the alien Jadoo helped the underdogs win (with a generous dose of special effects), you sure will love what Buddy does with the ball — truly, the USP of this film.
Buddy has a ball: Airbud Review
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