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Entertainment
Review: In reboot for Net ix, ‘Benji’ is still a good boy
By JAKE COYLE, AP Film Writer
It’s been a mere 14 years since the last “Benji” movie. But in dog years, that’s an eternity.
“Benji,” which lands on Net ix on Friday, is an earnest attempt to rekindle the most earnest of lm franchises, which dried up with “Benji: O the Leash!” in 2004. In an entertainment world more cacophonous than a kennel, bringing back such an exceedingly wholesome creature is a kind of a test: Can the humble, wordless tricks of a mongrel born and bred in the ‘70s still charm young viewers?
“Benji” is a remake of Joe Camp’s 1974 orig- inal, an independently released lm (all the studios passed) made as scrappily as its mangy mutt star, played by the then-veteran pup Hig- gins, co-star of “Petticoat Junction.” Yet “Benji” became a bona de pop-culture sensation and the year’s 10th biggest box-o ce hit, ranking among the likes of “Blazing Saddles,” ‘’Young Frankenstein” and “ e Godfather Part II.” (It was, um, a di erent time.)
But the appeal of a heroic pooch is, of course, eternal. ere remains no better way to separate the wheat from the cha of
humanity than the moral calculus o ered up by dog movies: e good are those who are kind to canines; the bad are those who aren’t. Simple as that. Unlike that prissy Lassie or that show-pony terrier from “ e Artist,” Benji is beloved because he’s a ea bag o the streets. Benji is Every Dog, with just a touch more training.
“Benji” is written and directed by Brandon Camp, son of Joe Camp, and he’s aimed to preserve much of his father’s template. e location has been switched from Texas to New Orleans. e single parent skeptical of adopting a stray is now an EMT mom (Kiele Sanchez) instead of a dad. But the basic formula is much the same, down to even the inclusion of Charlie Rich’s original theme, “I Feel Love.” A brother and sister pair (Gabriel Bateman and Darby Camp, unrelated to the director) get caught in a pickle and Benji comes to the rescue.
is is a movie about a dog that not only thoroughly understands English but also grasps the importance of forensic evidence in a police investigation. And yet “Benji” is less believable when the superdog isn’t around. ere’s an implausible kidnapping plot, some
rather grating and over-acted family dramat- ics and villains who appear to be going for a record in cliche ne’er-do-welling.
But the dog is, as ever, irresistibly win- ning. Here, his feats surpass even those of the door-opening Raptors in “Jurassic Park.” Benji does them one better, opening a locked room with a key he grips in his mouth.
For those looking for the most benign family-friendly entertainment, the nostal- gic and corny “Benji” will do the trick. e greatest irony is that the lm is produced by Jason Blum, whose production company, Blumhouse, has become synonymous with contemporary R-rated horror. Now he has proven — so long as he doesn’t have more sinister sequels for “Benji” planned — that he can raise loveable beasts from the dead, too.
“Benji,” a Net ix release, is not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America. It contains some intense scenes, mild violence and growling that could contain dog exple- tives. Running time: 87 minutes. Two stars out of four.
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
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