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Benji Off the Leash (2004)
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Reviews Counted:41
Fresh:13
Rotten:28
Average Rating:4.7/10
Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for thematic elements and some mild language
Genre: Childrens
Theatrical Release:Aug 20, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $3,600,548
Synopsis: The loveable Benji gets a sidekick in the shape of the hilarious Lizard Tongue in this hilarious comedy. With Benji's mother in a perilous situation down at the puppy mill, the plucky canine gets... The loveable Benji gets a sidekick in the shape of the hilarious Lizard Tongue in this hilarious comedy. With Benji's mother in a perilous situation down at the puppy mill, the plucky canine gets some of his friends together (both animal and human) to help him out in a rescue attempt. It all adds up to some cute family entertainment, with a character who has been embraced by young and old audiences alike! [More]
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Reviews for Benji Off the Leash
While it may be free of the potty humor and cruelty that plague many contemporary kids' movies, its cheap lack of a decent script, acting or canine charm is lethal.
Camp's films are independently produced, use little-known actors, and there's a slightly amateurish quality to them. But Benji: Off the Leash! has a raggy charm, like the dogs, and a solid moral ending.
It seems as if all the effort in the movie went toward making the pooches seem empathetic and emotional, but little thought went into making the human characters multidimensional.
The fifth film to feature the lovable mutt Benji is an old-fashioned boy and his dog story.
Horrible, loathsome, incompetent, wretched. The worst movie of the year? Undoubtedly.
The overall unevenness of tone is the movie's biggest flaw, but the slo-mo scenes of doggie derring-do are quite funny, and the message about how to treat both humans and animals evergreen.
This unwarranted iteration of the '70s shaggy-dog tale pales in entertainment value compared to its website, which features a rant from the mutt's creator, Joe Camp.
All the Benji productions have had a high corn content, but in this one, even the corn is cheap.
The movie is so earnest and sweet that to criticize it harshly would be like kicking a dog, and far be it from me to go there.
It’s Benji for Pete’s sake and he’s at least three times as expressive as Josh Hartnett or Halle Berry, so give a dog his due and shine that sun where it’s supposed to.
So long as Camp sticks to Benji and Shaggy, his movie is, like them, endearingly scruffy. Unfortunately, too much of the running-time is devoted to the people.
Parents ... are more likely to experience the film as a blend of clumsy slapstick and mind-numbing bathos.
At times, it seems as if cast members are making this up as they go along. And Whitaker is a little stiff and awkward, especially when he's acting with the animals and is forced into the lead role.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
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| 15% 15% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
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| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 36% 36% | Angels & Demons |
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| 45% 45% | Shorts |
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