In John Whitesell's SEE SPOT RUN, Agent 11 is placed in the agent
relocation program after a Mafia boss, Sonny Talia (Paul Sorvino), puts
out a contract on him. Sonny sends his top two goons, Gino (Joe
Viterelli) and Arliss (Steven Schirripa), to take out the agent, who bit
off one of Sonny's testicles. Did I mention yet that Agent 11 is a dog?
And not just any mutt, but "the most decorated canine in FBI history."
The hit men, not surprisingly, are upset about having to "whack a
pooch."
If this sounds like a silly kids' comedy, it is. Repeatedly falling in
the same pile of dog poop got the most laughs at our screening. In
second place was a flaming Zebra fart. Don't ask.
The movie stars David Arquette as Gordon, a mailman who has a love/hate
relationship with dogs. One day, the anal-retentive girl next-door,
whom he's been trying unsuccessfully to date, is forced to entrust him
with her 6-year-old son, James (Angus T. Jones), when her babysitter
gets sick just before an out-of-town business trip. Jones (SIMPATICO)
is an adorable kid with a sad pumpkin-sized face. Through a series of
misadventures, Agent 11 comes to live with Gordon and James, and they
name him Spot. (The dog is spotless, and the dog's new name is chosen
basically so that the movie can have a catchy title.) Michael Clarke
Duncan (the big convict in THE GREEN MILE) plays FBI Agent Murdoch,
Agent 11's partner.
Perpetual slob Gordon transforms James from his excessively healthy diet
of bran cereal, soy milk and prunes to a heavily sugar-laden one of
non-stop junk food. The result is like giving an alcoholic a gallon of
vodka. The kid goes crazy. To reinforce this drinking analogy, Gordon
wakes James the morning after he falls asleep with a big bottle of soda
on the sofa. Giving James a chocolate donut, Gordon tells him to have a
bit of "the dog that bit you."
SEE SPOT RUN runs 1:34. It is rated PG for crude humor, language and
comic violence and would be acceptable for all ages.
My son Jeffrey, almost 12, gave the picture ***. He said that he liked
the dog and the plot. He commented that he particularly liked the way
that they built the characters.
Copyright © 2001 Steve Rhodes
