The animals are delightful but the humans mostly wooden (and often disagreeable) in Joe Camp's attempt to revive the doggie franchise that whelped a litter of four movies--of decreasing quality--between 1974 and 1987. Overlong, clumsily constructed, and very old-fashioned, Benji: Off the Leash features the titular canine as the proverbial (and unwanted) runt of a new litter overseen by a cruel breeder, whose young stepson saves the puppy until it's old enough to survive on its own, after which it leaves and eventually partners up with an abandoned mongrel named Shaggy. Together they evade a couple of Keystone Kop-style dogcatchers while finding a new master for Shaggy, and Benji is not only instrumental in persuading the benevolent stepson's mother to leave her abusive husband, but also earns the lead role in Camp's new movie (presumably the present picture). The canine episodes here are fun to watch, but the material involving the nasty stepfather is so harsh and heavy-handed that it throws this otherwise amiable family film off stride. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include a three-minute onscreen intro “Conversation”--which leads into audio commentary with filmmaker Joe Camp, editor Dava Whisenant, composer Tony Di Lorenzo, and producer Margaret Loesch; a three-minute behind-the-scenes featurette; a trailer; and DVD-ROM screensavers and pictures. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing family film.] (F. Swietek)
Benji: Off the Leash
Good Times, 100 min., PG, VHS: $14.95, DVD: $19.95 Volume 20, Issue 2
Benji: Off the Leash
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