(Rated PG, 95 min.)
Opens Jan. 28
Based on the 1995 memoir about the late Willie Morris’s dog, it’s the story of a child’s coming of age through his pet. Though the story works as a time-passer for kids while mom’s running errands, and has that able-to-absorb, small-child-mind pace, the film fails to develop the dog’s involvement with its humans. It’s more like he’s a canine on display. Sort of a rip-off of Frasier Crane’s “Eddie” character.
However, there is something of days-gone-by when life was sweeter, that makes this movie just plain old nice. Kids will be appeased by the puppy antics and the dog is cute. Narrated by Henry Connick Jr., the film stars Diane Lane and Kevin Bacon, with Frankie Muniz as young Willie Morris.