Air Bud & Seventh Inning Fetch Double Feature
On DVD: February 3rd, 2009
Rated G - Family
Feature 1: Running time: 98 minutes
Feature 2: Running time: 93 minutes
Charles Martin Smith (dir.)
Michael Jeter as Norm Snively (Original Air Bud)
Kevin Zegers as Josh Framm
Wendy Makkena as Jackie Framm
Caitlin Wachs as Andrea (Seventh Inning Fetch)
Richard Karn as Patrick (Seventh Inning Fetch)
Our reviews below:
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Air Bud Review By John C.
**1/2 (out of 4)
Twelve years after it’s original release, Air Bud still stands up as an excellent kids movie. The only problem is, for adults the film is kind of predictable, pulling out all the stops of regular movie clichés and stereotypes. The acting is surprisingly pretty good and the story is about as believable as you can get when dealing with a dog playing basketball. I am glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this film. The DVD is worth having if you’ve got kids, or remember the film from when you were younger.
Air Bud comes in a 2 disc set which also includes Air Bud 4. The DVD of Air Bud includes the films theatrical trailer and a picture gallery. This 2 disc rerelease is only available in full screen.
Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch Review By John C.
* (out of 4)
30 minutes into Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch I realized the point of these just awful straight to DVD sequels. To make you really appreciate the first one. This one makes the original Air Bud look like a masterpiece. The film follows three different and equally pointless plots that never come together. The movie opens with Josh, (Kevin Zegers), going off to college, then the main plot of his younger sister playing baseball starts and there is also a subplot with evil scientists. Sadly the evil scientists were the best part for me because everything else is just bad, this pointless subplot is so bad it’s funny.
The acting is terrible and matches the equally awful screenplay just perfectly. Although, I have to say that young kids will probably like it. This is only worth having because it comes with the first one.
The DVD of Air Bud 4 includes a behind the scenes featurette and a gag real.
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Air Bud Review By Erin V.
**1/2 (out of 4) (*** for it’s intended audience.)
The original Air Bud movie, which I believe I originally saw years ago, still holds up today. This is actually a pretty good kids movie, and for the kids that will be watching it, they will probably think that it is great. I found it quite predictable, yet still enjoyable, as the actors all carried their roles nicely, and the bond between Air Bud, and Josh Framm, (Kevin Zegers), is believeble.
The fact that a golden retriver is playing basketball is also not too far fetched, even though rather than following the rules of the game, it would just be following commands. When the dog playing Buddy does make baskets from a standing still penalty shot position, the dog is probably actually doing it, since if they have measured the position correctly, all that the dog has to do is bounce the ball off of it’s head.
This movie is definitely a good choice if you are looking for a film to let a bunch of kids watch, since it will entertain them, and it is not the kind of movie that you have to watch with them, yet if you want to, it won’t be that bad for you. Sure it’s clichéd, but it’s fun, and harmless enough.
Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch Review By Erin V.
*1/2 (out of 4) (** for it’s intended audience.)
Well, after seeing the first Air Bud movie the day before this one, I am going to have to say that it makes this one look all that much worse. Consisting of three plotlines - Josh goes off to college, his sister takes care of Buddy and joins the school baseball team, (which Buddy helps with of course), and evil scientists with their lair in an RV park who want to steal Air Bud's puppies with the help of their pet raccoon.
The first storyline is not for much more, other than to shut Josh out of the majority of the movie. The second one might be enjoyed by kids at a slumber party, but it tries to repeat the first movie too much, and is not very well played at all, and the third storyline was so stupid that it was actually funny. And right now, I am not sure if that is a good, or bad thing.
One thing that I feel like noting is that while a dog may be able to master bouncing basketballs off of it’s nose, a dog would not be able to manipulate a baseball bat properly in it’s mouth, nor catch baseballs at such high speeds, without breaking it’s teeth. This is not very well thought through, and was obviously one of many sequels replaying the same storyline again, and again with different sports each time.
Maye if I had seen the 2nd, and 3rd Air Bud movies inbetween, the drop in quality would have been more gradual, and not quite as noticable, from one to the next. But after seeing the original, this one is not very good at all. The only reason that the DVD would be worth checking out if you have kids is for the first one - plain, and simple.
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Air Bud Review By Nicole
**1/2 (out of 4) (***1/2 for it’s intended audience of ages 6-12.)
It is nice to see a children’s live action dog movie in which the dog does not talk, and is not anthropomorphic. Such is the case with Air Bud. The movie is about a lonely boy named Josh, who has just moved into a new home after his father died in a plane crash. Josh has no friends, until he stumbles upon a dog that has run away from Slappy, an abusive clown. Josh, who has no clue where the dog came from, decides to take the dog home. Josh finds out the dog, who he has named Buddy, has a knack for playing basketball, the sport that Josh’s father used to play with him for fun. But when Buddy’s original owner finds out that Buddy is such an asset on the school basketball team, he wants Buddy back. Now it is up to Josh to save Buddy from Slappy the clown.
While Air Bud is completely predictable, follows every cliché possible, and has an implausible ending, this movie is still entertaining. The bond between Josh and Buddy is touching and believable, and the fact that Buddy plays basketball is not entirely unbelievable, because animals can be trained to do ball tricks, especially when the animal is a golden retriever dog. (Plus animal lovers will be pleased to know that the BC SPCA monitored the animal action, and no animals were harmed in the making of the film.) Over all, Air Bud is a fun movie for kids that still is just as fresh 12 years later.
Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch Review By Nicole
*3/4 (out of 4) (** for it’s target audience of ages 6-12.)
Air Bud 4 takes place when Josh goes off to college. His mother has remarried, and now has a baby. However, this story is not about Josh, it is about Josh’s sister Andrea. It is Andrea’s first year of junior high, and Andrea wants to make the school baseball team. Andrea and her best friend make the team, but Andrea is not a very good player. So, as predicted, Air Bud gets on the team. (A golden retriever playing basketball is plausible, but baseball?)
There is also a plotline where evil scientists, with the help of their pet raccoon, kidnap Air Bud and his sports loving puppies, and bring them to their secret lab in a trailer park. (Why their lab is in a trailer park, I’ll never know.) The evil scientists are so unbelievable, they’re funny, and they have nothing to do with the rest of the movie. They don’t move the plot forward at all, so you wonder why they are even there. Some of the acting in this film is terrible, and the emotions implied in the movie are just not there. And Josh, who is a main character, is completely forgotten in most of the film.
Having the first Air Bud movie is sufficient enough. This film might mildly amuse children at a slumber party, but is not worth owning. (Animal lovers will be pleased to note that all animal action was monitored by the BC SPCA, and no animals were harmed in the making of the film.)
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Consensus: While the original Air Bud is better than expected, and worth seeing, Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch is not going to appeal to much more than a group of kids at a slumber party.
Air Bud **1/2 (Out of 4) (***1/4 for it’s intended audience.)
Air Bud 4: Seventh Inning Fetch *1/2 (Out of 4) (** for it’s intended audience.)
Kevin Zegers as Josh Framm in the original Air Bud.
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