Air Bud Spikes Back

Golden retriever Buddy scores yet again with this underdog sports comedy. Andrea Framm (Katija Pevec) is determined to raise enough money to visit her best friend, who has just moved to California. Encouraged by the skateboarding new boy next door, she joins the local volleyball team, which lands her a shot at the championship and a trip to the West Coast. Buddy, who proves as adept at volleyball as he was at basketball, football, soccer, and baseball, lends a paw. Meanwhile, the requisite bumbling bad guys (an Air Bud staple) dognap Buddy to help them purloin a priceless jewel from the local museum. Not to mix sports metaphors, but this fifth addition to the now produced-for-video series covers all the bases, combining a heartfelt story of friendship, obvious slapstick, adorable Buddy exploits, and competitive sports action. This is as blandly inoffensive as Disney's live-action comedies of the '60s and '70s, but it's difficult to imagine what sport Buddy will try next--synchronized swimming with Benji? An optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include a four-minute “Behind the Net” behind-the-scenes featurette, two minutes of outtakes, the set-top game “Bump, Set, Spike!” (with a brief montage as prize), and trailers. Bottom line: a lightweight extras package for a lightweight family film.] (K. Lee Benson)