Underdog Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
One Nation, Under Dog.
Have no fear.
There's no need to fear. Underdog is here.
A bomb-sniffing beagle is fired from the mayor's office for a faux pas. That night a mad scientist dognaps him and injects him with an elixir. The dog escapes, but now has superpowers. He's adopted by a security guard - an ex-cop, who's a widower with a moody teen son, Jack. The boy discovers that the dog, named Shoeshine by dad, has super powers, but it's their little secret. While Underdog saves people in distress, the mad scientist and his underling continue their plot to catch him and take over the city. There's also a girl Jack likes who has a dog that Shoeshine takes a shine to. Will every dog have his day?
| Jason Lee | Underdog |
| Peter Dinklage | Dr. Simon Barsinister |
| James Belushi | Dan Unger |
| Patrick Warburton | Cad |
| Alex Neuberger | Jack Unger |
| Taylor Momsen | Molly |
| John Slattery | Mayor |
| Amy Adams | Polly |
| Brad Garrett | Riff Raff |
| Samantha Bee | Principal |
| Timothy Crowe | Police Chief |
| Larry Vigus | Security Guard |
| Mario Mariani | Police Officer |
| Bates Wilder | Cop |
| Alexander Garde | Small Boy |
| Frederik Du Chau |
4.00 out of 10 (4790 votes)
Visitor Reviews
There's No need to Fear...
posted on 27 Aug 2009This movie!!! I grew up watching Underdog reruns. My parents watched Underdog in its originality and we all found it very enjoyable. It kept mostly true to the cartoon, and I am glad that they went with the style they did. It updated the show! Good Job Disney! I see how some people would think that in a format like the Roger Rabbit movie it would of looked better, but RR is also from an older time. It came out when I was eight. Most children I know have no idea what it is. And to completely animate the movie would of taken something away that the cartoon needed in its updating. I was quite happy with the choices in the movie and would highly recommend it to anyone, old fans of the show and people who have never seen it. I think that it gives the cartoon justice.
Have no fear. Unknowing canine becomes superhero.
posted on 25 Aug 2009Juvenile humor at best. Pre-school entertainment hoping for a larger audience. Based on the cartoon UNDERDOG, an ordinary hound escapes evil Dr. Barsinister's(Peter Dinklage)lab with super powers. This dog is picked up as a stray by ex-Captiol City cop/night-watchman Dan(James Belushi)and given the name Shoeshine. The dog reveals to Dan's son(Alex Neuberger)the secret that he can speak. Underdog(voiced by Jason Lee)is smitten with a cute spaniel named Polly Purebread(voiced by Amy Adams). Dr. Barsinister and his idiot goon Cad(Patrick Warburton)do their best to get control of Shoeshine, so he can't get in their way of threatening to destroy Capitol City. Effective CGI special effects mixed with live action provide a brief escape, but nothing substantial to remember.
Jason Lee is... a talking dog?
posted on 23 Aug 2009Now, from the summary you would think I am bagging the casting selection made by the directer of this movie but Jason lee pulls this off magnificently. The movie is about Underdog ( if you did not get that then oops to you), a dog who gets transformed into a super dog after a mad scientists science experiment goes wrong and from there Underdog finds a real family and a cute dog he becomes GOOD friends with, he then has to save the world from the mad scientist that made him super who is going to blow up the city. Jason Lee is wonderful in this film and he is very different from his previous roles such as "My Name Is Earl" and "Stealing Harvard". Overall this movie is a must watch for fans of the original Underdog and even though they have really changed it it is still Underdog as his rhyming self. Also, Patrick Warburton does a great job as the henchmen of the mad scientist and you should see this movie even if only for that bit. Well anyway this is a good excuse to get the kids to just sit down for 90 minutes and also to be pretty entertained yourself. Great special effects for a great movie and a great movie it is, I think it has been severely misrated by lots of people and for those people who did not like it. Why would you have a reason too, this movie kicks butt. I rate it 73%.
Gentle fun that evokes nostalgia in baby boomers
posted on 09 Aug 2009"Buck" Biggers is a great writer -- he co-wrote more than 500 animated-show scripts, and he also is co-creator of the original "Underdog series. He updated his own creation for this film, and he did a wonderful job -- it's clever, oddball and fun enough for little kids and grownups. Look how terrific Peter Dinklage is as Simon Barsinister...what a great actor. It's like watching the original series come to life -- sweet and hopeful. Little kids were clapping at the end of this show -- and they sat very still and were quite entertained by it. Likewise, people who remember the animated series smiled and laughed when they recognized Underdog's rhyming dialogue and the same beloved characters.
wonderful
posted on 05 Aug 2009My 6 year-old loved this movie, and frankly, so did I. It is a straight forward, good-clean-fun movie. When I walk through the local movie rental chain, I am disappointed at the gore and darkness that people consider entertainment. If you want something lighthearted and enjoyable for the whole family, you can't go wrong with this one.
Better than you'd expect
posted on 03 Aug 2009If you're an adult watching it with your kids or grandkids. I watched it tonight expecting it to be stupid, dull, and less than sophomoric. It wasn't, it was much, much better. It was one of those rare movies that works on two levels - one the kids enjoy and one that adults can 'get' the references. Think the original cartoon 'Rocky and Bulwinkle'. It also reminded me of the first time I saw 'Look Who's Talking'. How do they make the dogs mouths move in such perfect synchrony? The wisecracks voiced by Jason Lee for the most part were surprisingly hilarious. I just liked it, what can I say? If you give it a chance, you might surprise yourself and like it too. No, it's not Academy Award material, but it was fun!
Very good movie for all ages
posted on 20 Jul 2009My girlfriend didn't want to go see the movie because if did not have good ratings. But I rented it and the movie is very good. I grew up on the animated version and the animated version always seemed to make Underdog look very silly. Well, in the movie Underdog is still silly but not as bumbling. This movie has an innocence that has mostly gone away in our culture of today. I recommend it highly for grownups that want to get into touch with their inner child or anyone who wants to relax and enjoy a cute flick that has a pureness in it that has not been seen lately in our society. I recently saw Beowulf and that was pretty good. I saw I am Legend and it was horrible. To see a movie like Underdog that had been so maligned that you wondered if it was worth seeing and then seeing the movie and finding out that it was very good shows that you can't trust what people say. I will watch Underdog again and I am sure I will enjoy it again and again. You will not ind lots of nudity and profanity in the movie, but you will find the kind of movie that your parents would have wanted you to see as a youngster twenty years ago. Excellent movie in my opinion and I recommend everyone see Underdog.
Really nice and fun for whole family!
posted on 20 Jul 2009I think this boy is really humble and kind and it comes across on the screen! He just did a charity event for kids in his town and stayed late and made 4 times the amount for the fund raiser that they previously had in their account! good work! The movie is FUN, A Little like BATMAN meets Superman but dog hero. A little sad at a moments notice, then it gets you up and clapping. I would say age's 7-100 will LOVE this film! It is an adorable doggy lover movie. The actors are true and fun to watch. The background is my home town, THE CITY OF Rhode Island, can't beat that for CAPITAL CITY!It is a movie I will buy the day it comes out and watch for years to come!! Disney is always making gold history!
Beagles Rule!!!!!
posted on 20 Jul 2009OK, I know this movie is not for everyone and it is definitely not going to win any Oscars. That being said, if you love dogs (especially beagles) and you find talking dog/CGI effects cute (I'll admit it--I own "Cats and Dogs") you will probably like Underdog (which is better than "Cats and Dogs" by the way). The movie is sweet and funny, the dogs are adorable, and I really enjoyed seeing it (even in a theater with a lot of little kids). Yes, there are a few times where the CGI effects look a little fake, but the dogs were so cute I just didn't care. I know there will be many bad reviews of this movie, but I think many dog/beagle lovers will really enjoy watching it.
I didn't like it
posted on 16 Jul 2009I didn't like Underdog!I mean it was really unnecessary and needed a big face lift and then it would have been maybe passable but for the main part i didn't like it.This wasn't like any other kid movie its one of those movies that wanted parents(who grew up watching the cartoon)to come with there kids to come see this,i am neither of them so the film didn't appeal to me in the slightest.I had some problems with it like i don't think Jason Lee was the right voice for Underdog it made it him sound sloppy and really unintelligent.Then it was really predictable which makes you feel tired and mad.The humor was really what made me mad it was just to unfunny and somewhat pathetic.The one thing that bothered me the most thought was how almost everything out of Underdog's mouth was sarcastic or rude.The acting was passable but needed a little improvement.If you have kids they might enjoy it, but if your not a kid by all means see it you might like it unlike me. 3.4 stars out of 10
A Cartoon Hero Become Real
posted on 30 Jun 2009Underdog is the story of your average police beagle. He's supposed to be trained to sniff out bombs, but he's, well, bombed out at that job. Dejected after his most recent failure (hams and bombs smell alike, right?), he sets out alone on the streets.
He's quickly picked up by Cad (Patrick Warburton) and taken to the lab of the mad Dr. Barsinister (Peter Dinklage). When the bad doc tries to inject him with something, he starts running around the lab, accidentally knocking over a shelf full of bottles. From these comes his super powers of speech, speed, strength, flying, you name it.
Underdog manages to get himself adopted by a recently widowed father (Jim Belushi) with a bitter son (Alex Neuberger). But Dr. Barsinister is continuing his evil scheme. Will he find Underdog? Can a small dog stop the mad scientist?
Never having watched the old cartoon show, I can't compare this film to its source material. I might have missed a few jokes as a result. But I found this to be only an average film. The story is predictable, but it was entertaining enough to hold my interest. There were some great one-liners, but too much bathroom humor for my tastes. I have a feeling the target audience of kids will enjoy it more then I did.
Not surprisingly, the special effects were great. The acting was fine, but nothing outstanding. The exception to that was Patrick Warburton and Peter Dinklage. They play the villains slightly over the top, and the result was perfect. They were more funny then scary, although a couple scenes in the lab might frighten young children.
This is a movie aimed at kids that is best left to them. They'll enjoy it, but adults will want to find something else to entertain them.
Brought back memories, and not half bad for kids!
posted on 30 Jun 2009I previewed this movie for the kids, because yes, I too was a fan of the original cartoons (long long ago). Is there a plot? Not really. Is there depth? Nope, not that either. Is it entertainment for a couple hours to remove us from the everyday ins and outs of life? You bet! Now, I'm not going to suggest you take your hard earned money from that everyday life and blow it on this DVD, but: If you have kids under the age of say, 8, then yes, a very worthwhile investment. You probably won't hear a peep out of them for the entire movie. Sit with them if you like, but don't watch the movie, watch the kids! The reactions are very entertaining. I don't think any kid would sit through the original cartoons, but Disney did a great job with making this for the young of today.I've read one comment that says the target audience is now in the 40's or 50's, but that isn't true. The target for this is the 4 to 8 year old's, and Hollywood needs to continue to produce movies not for the aging crowds of today's stuffed shirts, but for the youth of today.This was, after all, a Disney flick. True Disney, not their other venues for releasing movies that aren't suitable for the young.And they hit it!
Cute and Inoffensive
posted on 26 Jun 2009If the movie were exactly like the original cartoon without doing anything different, there wouldn't be any point in making a movie. I think the point of remaking something is to change and innovate and provide a different take on the same subject matter.That being said, I don't understand the negativity. I find that children's movies that lack any offensive, sexual, vulgar, or crude content are becoming few and far between. My four-year-old really enjoyed this movie and laughed several times and I didn't have to explain anything inappropriate like is placed in so many other so-called children's movies (the very worst being the remake of "The Cat in the Hat").
Don't expect the flavor of the original, more of a Saturday afternoon matinee action comedy
posted on 22 Jun 2009Underdog has a quite a fascinating history, which can be read in the book "How Underdog Was Born," or heard on an interview with co-creator Buck Biggers (whose daughter appears in one of the DVD special features) on the wonderful Time Travel Radio show.
It seems that he and Chet Stover created and produced the original Underdog, Tennessee Tuxedo and other Total Television cartoons as clandestine moonlighting projects when they worked at a major New York ad agency, having meetings in their cars, sending a British front man to present the storyboards and making millions, especially for Underdog, which has become a pop culture icon and a beloved Macy's Thanksgiving Parade balloon. The DVD does include a short documentary segment that acknowledges the original series creators (you have to click on a "dig deeper" icon to see it).
This 2007 film adaptation might have fallen under the "what were they thinking?" category, had it not been for the undeniable success of recent big-screen versions of small screen cartoons and sitcoms. As these sort of films go, this twist on the early 60's limited animation series is passable for a Saturday matinee potboiler in the Disney mold of "The Monkey's Uncle" and "The Ugly Dachshund."
The film strangely tries to take itself too seriously at times but also wants to be a campy comedy and teeters between both with a few too many gags about various gasses and sniffs for some parents' comfort. I must say, though, that I did enjoy the "Lady and the Tramp"-like sequence at Tony's Restaurant, meatball and all.
But take a look at the cast list and you might be surprised: hey everybody, it's "Enchanted's" Princess Giselle - the wondrous Amy Adams - doing the voice of Sweet Polly Purebred! You can even see her at the microphone in the bloopers section For fans of the very grown-up AMC series "Mad Men" will spot John Slattery is the mayor. And "Daily Show" viewers will smile to see Samantha Bee.
I only wish the filmmakers had made more of an effort to reference the series. Perhaps they tried and couldn't make it work; as a creative person in a large organization, I'm no stranger to how a project can succumb to well-intentioned meddling. It can be tricky to keep fans of the original happy while breaking in a new audience.
The other challenge this film faced was that the cartoon show is no longer widely played on broadcast TV, so it's not likely that kids were clamoring to see this as much as they would be to see, say, a live action Spongebob feature. When the first Flintstone feature made such a hit in theaters, Cartoon Network was still running the original show.
The special features include deleted scenes hosted by director (and former animator) Frederik Du Chau, some bloopers (real ones, not the faux bloopers in the final credits), a rap video with the appealing Kyle Massey, of the Disney Channel comedy "Cory in the House," performing the theme song which also plays over the end credits (it would have been nice to hear the original theme too, which occurred in the first Spiderman film).
GOOD beat but POOR actors ! (cute dog)
posted on 12 Jun 2009GOOD beat, POOR actors (BAD actors, BAD acting), and a cute dog! That's the theme of this story. In order to make the dog look cute and lovable everybody else had to be made ugly which I don't think is fare or noble--it destroyed what could have been great movie and made it mediocre back street alley type of flick. The beat was good and the music is smooth...I actually sat through the titles and listened to the song until the very end of the movie.
Over all you will love the music and the dog but hate everything else in this flick if you watch this movie...blue ray helps but a little.
Laughed A lot
posted on 25 May 2009I went to see this movie with my 14 yr old. I am not a huge dog lover, But I did so enjoy this movie. I found it very entertaining. We laughed quite a bit. It kept me in suspense throughout the whole movie. My 14 yr old liked it and is recommending it to his dad. I thought it was well done and in good taste.I think whether you will like this movie depends on your taste in movies.I would compare it to "Finding Nemo." I am an animal lover and any time an animal is involved, I most generally like the movie. I like it more than the original under dog cartoon.If you enjoy animals being heroes then I would definitely recommend this movie.
UNDERDOG movie worth barking about! Four Paws Up!
posted on 11 May 2009Let me start off by saying that Underdog the movie is a grrrrrrrrrrreat movie that will leave your stomach hurting from all the laughing. I just went and watched this movie on opening night and I have to say this movie is worth 4 paws and one tail up! It's a grrrrreat film that will leave you laughing the whole way through the film. Kids are going to flip out over Underdog, I'm telling ya! Everyone in the theater seemed to love this movie as well with all the laughter that was heard during the film. One thing this film does remind us is that dogs say the darndest things. Underdog (voiced by Jason Lee of "My Name is Earl") has a nack of making you burst into laughter from the goofy quotes and funny antics this character displays.
I say to the people giving negative feedback about this movie, they are just barking up the wrong tree. Most of which probably did not even watch the movie and just follow the popular false beliefs on how movies are made. I have a strong feeling that people will be barking all about this movie and it will be very successful in Theater viewings and DVD sales. Underdog is most certainly "Top Dog" when it comes to blockbuster movies for the month of August!
Purchase this movie today and thank me later.
What's the story:
The world needs a hero and man needs a best friend. They get them both when a scientific experiment goes wrong, leaving an ordinary beagle (oddly named Shoeshine Boy) with extraordinary abilities. What kind of abilities? He can fly! He can speak contemporary American English! He doesn't seem to mind wearing a sweater and cape! And, he's curiously monogamous! That's right; he's after the (literally) fetching Polly Purebread. So when she and all of Capitol City are under threat of destruction by a sinister plot, only a certain anthropomorphic canine can save the day! After all, who doesn't like rooting for an underdog?
Three Good Reasons
* You loved the cartoon as a kid. You can't wait to see if Disney did it justice or ruined it.
* Jason Lee's voice work as Syndrome in The Incredibles was convincingly creepy. Now that he's playing the good guy, kids won't be quite as scared of him.
* Indie-film favorite Peter Dinklage gets nasty as Simon Barsinsinter, with sitcom stalwart Patrick Warburton as his lug of a henchman.
Bet You Didn't Know
This is the first screenplay credit for two of the movie's writers, but it's old hat for score composer Randy Edelman. He's won 10 BMI Film Music Awards, including 2003's Career Achievement Award.
I Found It Surprisingly Enjoyable
posted on 11 May 2009You know, the old Underdog cartoons were a favorite of mine when I was little. I much preferred them to its counterparts in Rocky & Bulwinkle, Dudley Doright, and Fractured Fairy Tales. I really had forgotten what it was that I had loved so much about those old, cheaply animated cartoons.Then I saw this movie, and it actually reminded me about what I had liked so much -- the rhyming couplets of Underdog's speech, the inability for Polly Purebred to recognize that Shoeshine is Underdog, and one other thing which I will leave as a surprise (it's a bit of dialogue at the end of the film).Obviously, I disagree with many other reviewers here. Clearly, this has been marketed to kids, with the hope that nostalgic parents will be willing to cart the kids to the theater to see it. Four adults went with three children in my group, and all of us enjoyed the movie.First, let me say that it is rare to find a great movie for all ages. It's hard to find any sort of action/superhero genre movie that is not peppered with profanity, sexual innuendo, or potty humor. Underdog is almost nil on all those counts. What exists in this movie is far from the usual garbage that attempts to pass as humor. All of us felt comfortable with our children (age ranges 4 - 10) seeing this.I didn't mind the fact that the movie is not animated. The CGI stuff that animates the dogs' mouths does not trouble me. I mean, does anyone expect that this is going to be nominated for any Oscars? Sometimes movies exist just for escapist entertainment.For me, the movie hearkened back to the original cartoon as much as it could without looking stupid. Obviously, Underdog's alter-ego is not literally a clothed dog working as a shoeshine boy. But I think that what the writers and director did was fine. As a fan of the original series, I was not disappointed.I also liked Jason Lee's voice for Underdog. The script was humorous without being gross, and it clearly was geared for children. Simon Barsinister is an adequate villain, but rather upstaged by Patrick Warburton as the witless Cad.Like I said, others may disagree with me, but I think this is one that I'd buy on DVD to have in my child's library of movies. It's nice to know that there is something that kids can watch without having to be subjected to profanity or sexuality in everything that comes across the screen.It seems to me that most of the other reviewers have expected way too much or else have turned a too-critical eye on this pleasantly distracting bit of entertainment. As I said before, it evoked a lot of memories for me of the original, and I even liked the new spin on the theme song.Guys, every movie does not have to be Schindler's List, Lord of the Rings, Titantic, or some such other movie with critical acclaim.
great family movie
posted on 31 Aug 2009My son would watch this movie everyday given the chance. It is a really cute family movie.