A Dog of Flanders

In the interest of fairness, I should note that young children seem to like the new A Dog of Flanders, the umpty-umpth version of Ouida's 19th century children's tale about a poor Belgian boy named Nello (Jesse James as a youth, Jeremy James Richter as a teen) who dreams of becoming a great painter like his idol Peter Paul Reubens. You'll note the absence of any mention of a dog in that summary, since Nello's pet Bouvier des Flanders plays only a token role in the proceedings. That's not just unfortunate because it's somewhat deceptive, but also because the dog might give the film's best performance. The young performers at least have inexperience as an excuse; Jon Voight and Jack Warden, who fuss and knit their brows, get no such slack. This tale of milk-toting, art theory discussions and the pitfalls of poverty might appeal to parents and kids who can watch with a heroic generosity of spirit matching that of the protagonist. Most others will conclude that the real dog is the film itself. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)