Fleas Itch Lives

I know the title may stump you all, but I had inspiration from Fletch. But the title is more than just a clever pun that no one gets, it signifies the mentality of Underdog. Fletch had this unique and simple side that led many to believe it was a simple film.  I however loved Fletch and thought that the simpleness is what made the film.  I have no problem with the bad reviews of this film, because I am convinced that any film such as this should be reviewed by a kid or by someone with a kid’s mentality. Therefore I will review it, with help from my daughter of course.

Let’s begin with the fact that Jason Lee is the voice of Underdog. Even though my daughter could care less, I thought it was a little bit of cool. Neither my daughter or I had any idea what we were getting into when we sat down to watch this. A few friends mentioned how bad it was, but it’s a kid’s film so I tend to watch them anyway. It’s better than watching High School Musical for the fortieth time.

The story of Underdog is pretty much what we remember with a few added plot development points. Dog gets turned into a talking superhero. He then has to discover his heroic side and save the city from the evil Dr. Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage). I really didn’t expect too much from the plot, however my daughter was very scared of the Doctor. This is good since he is the bad guy of the film. However she was not able to follow the plot since it tended to move a bit too fast and cut between the story of the Doctor and Underdog. I had to explain a few connections. I also have to mention that she was very connected to Underdog right from the start when she was cringing during the scene when the Doctor tries to give Underdog a shot. The rest of the acting was okay, the father and son relationship between Dan (James Belushi) and Jack Unger (Alex Neuberger) was fulfilling but too much like a Disney set-up. Why is it that either a mother or father has to die? My favorite character was Cad (Patrick Warburton), the Doctors henchman, er I mean partner. He added dry humor that I found hilarious, my daughter just missed most of his jokes.

The thing about this movie is that it had a 4 year old and a 30 something year old laughing. It was great to be able to connect with my daughter on some of the humor. It was also great to be able to share in other emotions as well. There is nothing like an animal to bring the tender side. Towards the end, Underdog almost dies and we both had tears in our eyes. Of course he doesn’t (no real spoiler there), but that moment proved that this film had something more to it than just a comic rip-off. Even though I knew he would make it, I was involved to the point that I went with it. My daughter was on the verge of real tears, but the timing was perfect and she looked at me with glistening eyes and said, “He made it!”

Underdog may not be the best film, but it certainly is better than most of the reviews. While not breaking any new ground, it gives kids the chance to experience the comic book movie. I agree that there were moments when the film bordered on ridiculous, but who really cares when it’s supposed to entertain a kid. Have you seen High School Musical? Give Underdog a chance, since he’s, well, the underdog.