Air Bud: Golden Receiver

Plenty has changed since last we saw Buddy, the hoops-shooting golden retriever star of Air Bud. His human pal Josh (Kevin Zegers) is starting junior high school; Josh's widowed mother is re-entering the dating arena; and, of course, the original real-life Buddy was lost to cancer. Unfortunately, it's the same old screenwriting team this time around. Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn return to duty for the sequel, this time turning Buddy into a gridiron star when Josh goes out for a hapless youth football team, leading, of course, to amusing sequences of Buddy befuddling opposing defenses. But wait, you also get touching dramatic sub-text as Josh struggles to accept his mom's new boyfriend, plus a bumbling pair of Russians out to kidnap Buddy for their trained animal circus. The original film had good intentions and family values to spare, but tied them up in such a derivative package that even kids couldn't keep their attention on the precocious pooch. It's hard to tell whether the sequel is supposed to be an Afterschool Special, The Bad News Bears, a John Hughes film or a wit-impaired episode of Rocky and Bullwinkle. It's all harmless enough, but there's something vaguely desperate about a franchise built on what amounts to a better-than-average Stupid Pet Trick. The next time they teach this old dog a new trick, they should try teaching a new screenwriting team how to write a film that might appeal to someone over the age of five. Not recommended. (S. Renshaw)[DVD Review—Feb. 2, 2010—Walt Disney, 90 min., G, $19.98—Making its latest appearance on DVD, 1998's Air Bud: Golden Receiver sports a fine transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include “The Buddies Sports Channel” brief featurette on select scenes featuring the “dogs” (6 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a skimpy extras package for an unimpressive Disney live-action film.]