Movie Review #19: The Return of the Shaggy Dog (1987)

 

It's time for another review! I picked todays movie for a few reasons... it was the last movie I watched so it's still pretty fresh in the old memory. I don't want to go more than a few days without updating and I like to review different things so I didn't want to jump into another Final Episode. I like to keep some variety going, so expect maybe another review of something else before we go back to Final Episodes. I also wanted to see if I could blab on about something like The Return of the Shaggy Dog. (the answer is probably yes, I could blab on about pet rocks for way too much time if someone gave me the chance)

The Return of the Shaggy Dog has a lot of history behind it. It's one of the movies in the Shaggy Dog series of films. It even dates back to 1923 in GERMANY of all places. It was loosely based on the German novel The Hound of Florence. In 1959, the Walt Disney Company made the movie The Shaggy Dog. It was followed by a sequel in 1976. Then a remake in the 1990s, which starred Steve from Full House and Ed Begley Jr. If that isn't a great cast than I don't know what is! (Disney remade several movies for TV. Freaky Friday, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Escape to Witch Mountain, and the only one I can't find a copy of The Absent Minded Professor between the years of 1987 and 1997) It was also remade AGAIN with Tim Allen. The less said about that movie is better. In fact the less said about anything Tim Allen has made that isn't Toy Story is a good idea. He's good in that but I believe he's been taking away from Tom Hank's charisma. 

The Return of the Shaggy Dog is a mid-qel. Yes, Not a sequel or a prequel but a movie that takes place between two other previously released movies. I don't even know who made up that term but I think they are a big nerd and I want to give them a wedgie. I think worrying about the continuity of a franchise like The Shaggy Dog is taking away from the fun of these movies. Anyway this movie takes place between The Shaggy Dog from 1959 and The Shaggy D.A. which was the sequel made in 1976. It has one of my favorite scenes of cheesy effects. The Shaggy Dog has to punch the King of Druida in the face and its a quick scene but it's hilarious to me. It's so cheesy and cheap that I love it. The rest of the movie is a lot of fun too but man I will never tire of seeing some guy in a Dog suit punch the dad from Eight is Enough. I'm a simple man and I have simple pleasures.

The Return of the Shaggy Dog is one of the many many MANY made for TV movies that Disney has done in the last 38 years. In October of 1983 they released some movie called Tiger Town that I don't believe anyone has seen since 1983. Don't tell me you have because I won't believe it.  It was made for the Disney Channel and that's where the majority of their made for TV movies go. The Return of the Shaggy Dog was for the people who couldn't afford the Disney Channel. It was a part of the short lived Disney Sunday Movie that was on ABC. I could have easily not mentioned Disney Channel at all but I just had to talk about Tiger Town. WHAT KIND OF MOVIE IS THAT?

The Return of the Shaggy Dog starts off with the Professor who had the ring that turned Wilby into a dog in the first place is dying. He has two shady people working for him who want to rob him of everything he has. Of course the enchanting words that turn Wilby into a dog get spoken and it's all kinds of wacky hijinx that happen. Moochie (Wilby's brother) has to get a dog for his dog food commercial and well it ends up being Wilby. His fiancé Betty thinks he is cheating because he doesn't want to tell her about his turning into a Dog sometimes thing. I can't really blame him because that's some weird shit. Of course the thieves find out how the ring works and try to turn Wilby into a dog and keep him that way to make money. Of course everything goes back to normal at the end but it does end in the way all great films should, with a zany car chase.

I uh, had no idea who anybody except for one person was in this film. Apparently the guy who played Wilby (Gary Kroeger) was on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985 but 1.) I've never watched much SNL and 2.) No one watched those seasons so anyone could have been on it then. You can easily say you were on SNL at that point and no one will try to argue with you. In fact, I was a featured player in the 1984 season, which was even before I was born. Don't argue with it, you don't want to admit to having seen any of those seasons. In fact the only person from this movie who was in anything else was actually in two of the most iconic films of the 1980s, Caddyshack and Tron. She played Laci Underhill. She's very pretty. I like her. Despite the fact I haven't seen anyone except Laci ever before the cast does well. I liked the guy who played Moochie. This movie was also directed by the same guy who did Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III and Rocket Man. I just want people to remember Rocket Man.

FINAL VERDICT: This was a fun entertaining movie. The comedy works well, the cast works well. It's just a likeable silly movie that you can enjoy watching. I'm in a big likeable silly movie kinda mood right now so this fit in really well. Probably not even the best movie in The Shaggy Dog franchise but did anyone who's reading this even realize it was a franchise?? I bet not, it also proved that I really can blather on about anything. I think that's pretty cool!