Max Review
RYAN: Max could be, like, a modern-day Lassie – edgier, for a more of-today-audience – but it’s nowhere near as good as the Lassie movies. It follows the formula of the kids following the dog, to find out where the drama is, and they chase after him, he saves the day… But this movie is bad. It’s has a corny after school special quality to it. It’s really an embarrassing, at times unwatchable film.
CHUCK: I agree. About twenty minutes in, I realized it had the air of an 80s, Sunday night, TV movie that would never be released in the theater.
RYAN: It’s very B-movie. And, partially, what lends to that 80s feel is the score. It sounds very dated. There are, however, two things I like about the film. At the beginning, there’s some creative cinematography, low to the ground, where you see through the eyes of the dog. That was cool but short lived.
CHUCK: While they were in Afghanistan was the only time is happened. I was excited, thinking it would have an interesting look to it, and no. I was really looking forward to a sweet, family movie. And I’m sure there are great stories out there about servicemen and their dogs.
RYAN: I’m a total dog person. I was really looking forward to this as a touching story. But they messed up. If the filmmakers had just stuck to the heart of the story and focused on the soldier and his relationship with Max and the family’s relationship with Max – that’s all the movie needed. But they threw in all of this action and suspense and “bad guys” that were unnecessary. It ruined the movie. If you don’t know how to write and direct an effective action scene, don’t do it! You could see how fake they were when fighting. Awful.
CHUCK: The reconnection of Max with the family and teaching him how to readjust would have been a much better movie.
RYAN: Yeah and there’s a lame moment with the kids, which I can’t give away but was so cheesy. But I do wan to point out the other good thing about the movie – Max – the dog. He gave a good performance. He’s the best actor in it. A 3 year old Belgian Malinois named Carlos, played him. Very cute.
CHUCK: That dog can act. I like Lauren Graham and Thomas Hayden Church. They played the parents.
RYAN: Why were they both wearing mint green the entire movie?
CHUCK: Did they owe someone money? How did they get roped into doing this movie?
RYAN: (laughs) Were they forced into it?
CHUCK: I kept thinking about the movie War Horse – it was so powerful and well done.
RYAN: Did you cry during this movie?
CHUCK: No. I’ve cried more during commercials on TV.
RYAN: The action is so poorly choreographed that it looked like a spoof of an action scene. If you can’t do it to make it real, again, don’t do it. When Bad Scripts Happen to Good Dogs would have been a better title.
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RYAN:
