Good Boy!

As talking-dog movies go, this one could have been worse. The story of an outcast boy named Owen (Liam Aiken), who is empowered with the ability to communicate with canines when he adopts a cute, crash-landed border terrier from outer space (with the listless, low-key voice of Matthew Broderick), it's a kiddie picture that starts strong with some freshly funny twists on obvious jokes ("Hey, I drank out of that bowl!" the dog barks after seeing the kid use the toilet). But after a likable first act of awkward bonding as Owen tries to help the critter repair a distress beacon (apparently the mutt isn't familiar with his own technology) and adjust to life on Earth, the plot goes to the dogs as they hatch a contrived plan to convince the animal's alien superiors that dogs rule the Earth. After that, Good Boy! fails to rise above its gimmick again, and soon resorts to disingenuous tear-jerking and rudimentary, pat-on-the-head life lessons ("home isn't where you are, it's who you're with"). While enjoyable enough for the pre-teen target audience, it's not a surefire family film, as grownups will likely be disappointed watching the movie's early promise go to waste. Optional. [Note: DVD extras include audio “Canine-tary” with director John Hoffman and costars Liam Aiken and Molly Shannon, the 23-minute “making of” featurette “A Dog-umentary,” seven “Pooch Profiles” text segments, a “Dog Walking Duty” interactive map of the neighborhood linking to featurette segments, the six-minute featurette “Tricks for a Crafty Canine,” seven deleted/alternate scenes from “The Dog Pound” (6 min.) with optional commentary by Hoffman, a “Q&A with Hubble” segment featuring the voice of Matthew Broderick, a two-minute scrapbook slideshow, and trailers. Bottom line: a doggone impressive extras package for a so-so film.] (R. Blackwelder)