Review of the movie "The Big Red Dog Clifford" - a goofy family comedy about a problem pet and equally problem adults
An annoyingly naive, but not devoid of charm, story about a girl and a giant red doggie.
Girl Emily (Darby Camp) receives as a gift from a mysterious old man (John Cleese from "Monty Python") a cute puppy - not just a simple one, but with red hair. Since her mother went on a business trip, and the only one who looks after the child is Casey's absent-minded and unemployed uncle, who needs an eye and an eye for himself (Jack Whitehall), Emily hides her tailed newcomer without any problems. True, the next morning the elephant in the room turns out to be hard not to notice: the puppy grows to the size of a truck, destroys everything around and requires the attention of the owners. To cope with him, two relatives need to grow up dramatically themselves and learn to take responsibility for their actions.
"The Big Red Dog Clifford" is an adaptation of a series of cult children's books by Norman Bridwell, so moralizing and moralizing from the genre, like words from a song, cannot be thrown out. For example, young Emily is the object of ridicule at school or, simply put, the ugly duckling, who is destined to come to terms with his otherness day after day. Her uncle Casey is a hopeless infantile who once managed to forget his niece on the subway and lives in a dirty van. The first after the adventure, of course, will find a friend and understand that being an outsider is not so bad. The second, realizes that if the giant dog has become a worthy member of society, then he should finally settle down, grow wiser and pull himself together.
But, despite the abundance of educational moments (take responsibility, do not follow the blind majority, wash the dishes and love your mother), I somehow do not want to listen to them at all. The best family movie is one that does not speculate on its infantilism. And in "Big Red Dog Clifford", on the contrary, the vibe of the most kindergarten film reigns: annoying melodies from naive comedies of the 90s, jokes about shitting animals, cartoon villains reminiscent of the characters of the cult meme series "Lazy Town", - here , in general, they do not even hide the fact that adults are not recommended to approach the screens.
Although, more paradoxically, in this whole journey on the path to awareness and balanced actions, the most charming hero becomes ... the rascal Casey. He, of course, behaves like a comedian-religionist from the Village of Fools (late for an interview, picks up a handful of sweets from the secretary's table and uses an antiseptic instead of perfume), but in this whole booth he looks much more alive than other annoyingly correct characters. A narrow-minded dirty kid, who spends his days in a stuffy truck, draws all the attention not only from the girl Emily, but, to be honest, from the giant red dog.
All such edifying "Clifford" is revealed only when it is outrageously wrong and absurd. For example, in scenes with a crazy Russian grandmother eating whole cans of condensed milk, or a one-armed salesman from a corner store with the habits of a ninja assassin. Much more successful creators are given not truisms for the little ones, but ordinary colorful buffoonery: chasing a giant dog, collisions with rabid genetically modified goats (yes, there are some here) and the rest of the cartoon madness. The lesson may have failed, but the children will definitely be satisfied.
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