Critic's Grade: C

Frank's film tip: John Hoffman's tepid four-legged kiddie space comedy GOOD BOY! is destined for the dog house

Are you ready for another canine comedy featuring adorable talking dogs? Well, maybe you are but again maybe you aren't. Personally, some of us can do without the cloying capers of precious four-legged fleabags from outer space, particularly if it suspiciously follows in the indirect footsteps of Steven Spielberg's timeless gem E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial. In director John Hoffman's kiddie comedy space/fantasy adventure Good Boy! the only way one can swallow the sugary manipulation of this aw-shucks cutesy actioner is to drastically regress back to when one thought conversational animals were actually sweet and surreal.

Granted that Good Boy! is targeted toward the tykes and the cuddly critters will certainly make an impression with audiences of all ages. However, folks will be barking up the wrong tree if they were to consider this pooch picture an escapist treat for impressionable minds. Sure, the formula is innocuous enough to appeal to the rugrats and parents will have no problems with the hokey high jinks that occur. But Good Boy! is nothing but a bland knockoff of Spielberg's aforementioned E.T. and its gimmick of having mutts that roamed the galaxy only to come to Earth and befriend an isolated moptop wouldn't fit the bill to hold the kids' imagination entirely. Hoffman's generic kid-coated narrative may have missed the dog days of summer by a couple of months but somehow the flea collar feels really tight and uncomfortable in trying to digest this flimsy and farfetched fable.

We are introduced to preteen protagonist Owen Baker (Liam Aiken from Stepmom), a lonely lad whose wish for a pet dog constantly picks at his mind. Owen loves dogs and being around them makes him feel special inside. His parents (former Saturday Night Live performers Molly Shannon and Kevin Nealon) decide to take a trip to the dog pound so sad sack Owen can cheer up and finally get the pup of his dreams. The kid sets his eyes on an infectious cute border terrier he later names Hubble. Unbeknownst to Owen, his soon-to-be hairy companion is more than just a four-legged friend looking for some affection and a place to call home.

As it turns out, scruffy little Hubble is in actuality Canid 3942 (voiced by Matthew Broderick) who knows how to talk as Owen will soon discover. Hubble/Canid 3942 is from the outer space destination known as Sirius (or "Dog Star"). For thousands of years now, the space hounds on this planet have entertained the notion of conquering the Earth. But first they must find out about the earthlings and their strange ways. So what better way to study Earth than to infiltrate the planet by sending along doggie space agents to live amongst the human species. Well, this is what Canid 3942's intentions are and he'll definitely get to experience his memorable assignment thanks to him befriending Owen.

So the chummy duo of Owen and Hubble co-exist and help each other out accordingly. Not only does Owen eventually learn of Hubble's speaking abilities as one of the most unusual dog tricks he's ever witnessed but he finds out about his purchased pet's knack for flying space ships. Hubble fills the boy in on his purpose for visiting the planet and informs him that his Sirius superior "The Great Dane" (voiced by Vanessa Redgrave) is expecting a report of his Earth-bound activities. More importantly, the Great Dane may pay a visit and inspect the flea-bitten troops so the dogs in the immediate area need to get their act into gear. On the flip side, Hubble quickly recognizes how much Owen needs companionship. Also, Hubble is quite moved by this kid routinely displaying his affection for his pawed peers. The fact that Owen runs a neighborhood dog-walking service is indicative of how devoted he is to the cause of maintaining a health relationship with Hubble's barking brethren.

With the upcoming arrival of the Great Dane, all dogs on Earth are in jeopardy unless they can show how resilient they are and avoid a mandatory trip back to Sirius for possible punishment. Thus the heroic efforts of Owen and Hubble must come through convincingly otherwise there will be a major shake up for all pooches everywhere to bear. Of course the film must showcase an oddball bunch of canine characters to make the point that their idiosyncrasies could earn them a one way ticket back to Dogsville beyond the stars. Among the hearty hairballs include spoiled sport poodle Barbara Ann (Delta Burke), free-wheeling boxer Wilson (Donald Faison from NBC-TV's Scrubs), jittery Italian greyhound Nelly (Brittany Murphy from Don't Say a Word and Just Married) and mature and beat up Burmese mountain dog Shep (Carl Reiner).

One wouldn't say that Good Boy! is totally a "dog-gone" shame because the movie has its flashes of amusing elements that the kiddies may relish. The voices behind the tail-wagging protagonists are entertaining and capture the personalities of the perky ear-flopping cut ups. Although meant to be giddily juvenile for the youthful audience intended, the cockeyed take of young man and his best friend is demonstrated with saccharine-coated innocence. And lead lad Aiken is suitable as the alienated tyke looking to find a sense of identity about himself through the miracles of a conversing space-bound mutt with galaxy mileage under his hind legs.

Yet with all this to consider, Good Boy! still manages to miss the mark as a lightweight escapist fantasy flick for the kid-friendly crowd because the script depends too much on the prolonged stale gag it's trying to lean its creative juices on. Sure, the critters are notoriously cute and riotous and Aiken probably has the making of an immediate heartthrob-in-waiting role for the pre-teen girlies to consider with rambunctious adoration. But overall, the script caters to the blandness of the proceedings and the shenanigans in Good Boy! comes off as plain and uneventful for a so-called spry cosmic comedy about "dog"-matic visitors from outer space.

Surprisingly, the human co-stars that are featured (with the exception of Aiken's Owen Baker) seem to lack the necessary energy to play off of the irresistible and pesky pups. Veteran comedy inducers Shannon and Nealon aren't given the expected wacky depth to accentuate their characters and add to the mockery as Owen's clueless parents. Knowing how outrageous SNL alums Shannon and Nealon can be in their humorous hides yet downplaying their skill as hilarious contributors in this dogged lukewarm laugher is indeed a slight but noticeable mistake.

Good Boy! is sporadically affecting and will make some of its audience play fetch the bone with its silly-minded sentiments. But unfortunately this whimsically lame dog-and-pony show can only take its manufactured cuteness so far to the point of borderline pretentiousness.

Frank rates this film: ** stars (out of 4 stars)

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