Film Premiere and Review - Pudsey the Dog: The Movie
Friday, July 18, 2014
Woof woof, there's a new star in tinseltown and it's a dancing dog! The adorable Pudsey shot to fame in series 6 of Britain's Got Talent in 2012, and straight into the nation's dog-loving hearts. I mean, who could resist a dog that cute!? Not forgetting his (human) owner/trainer Ashleigh too, who is Pudsey's other half but is slightly less cute... Anyway, Pudsey is now back in the spotlight with his very own movie. Produced by Simon Cowell (who else?), it sees Pudsey causing mischief and mayhem in the countryside as he helps save the village and save the day. A tried and tested formula for a classic family movie - and it can't hurt by adding a cute dog to the mix. The movie Wikipedia page is looking a bit bare at the moment, so I'll do my best to fill you in...
I had the pleasure of attending the premiere, which was executed to the theme extremely well. Kudos to the PR people for that. A "be the star of the poster" photoshoot, kids getting their caricature done, free bone-shaped biscuits and much more. For the first time in a while, I felt like a kid again. Hell, I ran straight for the biscuits! Anyway, Leicester Square had a healthy buzz of fans waving Pudsey flags (kudos again), and saw the return of other BGT faces like this year's winners Collabro. Funny story, whilst picking up my tickets in the hotel lobby, I was actually standing around with said winners without realising. Unfortunately, they're more difficult to recognise when they're not all standing together side by side and singing Les Mis songs. I digress; back to the review...
I won't paint you a picture of perfection. Pudsey: The Movie, when you strip it down, is a basic film - but then again, what did you expect? The formerly stray dog are taken in by a family who have packed up and moved to the fictional rural Chuffington. There's the mum (Jessica Hynes), teenage daughter Molly (Izzy Meikle-Small) and sons George and Tommy. And of course, the latest troublemaking family member Pudsey, voiced by a very enthusiastic David Walliams. You have to applaud the cast for creating a vaguely believable family, and bringing a voiceless dog to life. Logically, Pudsey vocalises his thoughts only - I don't think the world is quite ready for a dancing and talking animal just yet. Having said that, I found his voice very distracting at times. It's quintessentially Walliams. It's funny, but not necessarily in the way the producers intended... You have to appreciate the whole BGTness, if anything. Although I have to strongly add that even though Amanda Holden is strongly billed across all the trailers and bus posters, she is the voice of a dog for about... 3 lines?
The film is filled with sweet moments, even if they don't always actually make sense. The importance of family love, friendship and loyalty. But I don't think a film like Pudsey is looking to go that deep. There are breakdancing dogs, dogs running wild around London, massively exaggerated villains (so exaggerated, they may as well have added the mandatory prosthetic nose with the warts), communicating animals including a pig who thinks he's a hen... The kids in the cinema giggled uncontrollably at the childish jokes, so I think the crude quips and poo jokes went down well with the target audience. The adults can quietly chuckle whilst counting the number of dog-related puns the producers managed to fit in, and the ode to Babe and other animal in-jokes. And one very questionable innuendo. Moving on...
Many critics seem to have been very quick to universally pan this Hollywoof film. I can't completely agree, because I did enjoy myself and I did enjoy the film. It made me laugh and it made me smile, and I didn't go into the cinema expecting 90%+ on Rotten Tomatoes or anything. It's a feel-good family film and I think it ticks enough boxes to do just that. As soon as you accept that this is a silly harmless film aimed at kids, you realise it's not necessarily a film you should tear apart with your paws and claws and all. Sure, the storyline is predictable, but I can appreciate the Pudsey camera tricks, and a fun 90- minute adventure which manages to utilise the dog's dance abilities. Also, credit to Ashleigh who is out of the spotlight but is equally as important. (And truthfully I did leave the cinema slightly biased thanks to the free fruit bowls.) I'm not sure if you're still feeling the "OMG IT'S A DANCING DOG" hype, but if you have kids, take them along and they'll have a blast. If not, I hear Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is out now!?
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