Firehouse Dog (2007)

"...touching, family-friendly entertainment...  Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
"An entertaining family comedy full of both tricks and trickery.  Jennie Punter, The Globe and Mail
"A surprisingly heartfelt father/son relationship, handled with restraint by director Todd Holland.  Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Editor's Note In director Todd Holland's 2007 family film FIREHOUSE DOG, Hollywood's top canine star, Rexxx (played by a number of Irish terriers), is forced out of his pampered lifestyle when an accident leaves him far from home and presumed dead. Taken in by Shane (Josh Hutcherson), the son of a firehouse captain (Bruce Greenwood), Rex becomes the struggling fire department's unlikely mascot, and is gradually forced to give up his snooty behavior whiling embracing the selfless and daring duties involved in firefighting. And as the stubborn Shane forges a bond with Rexxx, he also begins to heal the rift with his sullen, hard-working father. Helmed by TV comedy vet Holland, FIREHOUSE DOG mixes animal-driven action and laughs with a poignant father/son storyline. And though the lead mutt(s), Hutcherson (star of '07's BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA), and seasoned actor Greenwood are all fine in their roles, the film is bolstered by an excellent supporting cast that includes Bree Turner, Dash Mihok, Steven Culp, Bill Nunn, and Mayte Garcia (Prince's former wife). Ideal for firefighting enthusiasts, dog lovers, and tween viewers, FIREHOUSE DOG doesn't reinvent the canine-centric movie, but it's an entertaining installment in the subgenre that stands (on four legs) on par with AIR BUD and BEETHOVEN.

	Bill Nunn
	Bruce Greenwood
	Josh Hutcherson
	Mayte Garcia
	Claire-Dee Lim, et. al. - Writer
	Jeff Cardoni - Original Music By
	Michael Colleary, et. al. - Producer
	Scott J. Wallace - Editor
	Tamara Deverell - Production Designer
	Todd Holland - Director
	Victor Hammer - Cinematographer

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's family fun, with Hutcherson showing he's the go-to kid for sensitive loners." 07/01/2007 p.44

Sight and Sound
"Equal parts BEETHOVEN and BACKDRAFT....Hardy tots will love the fiery, seat-clutching action sequences..." 08/01/2007 p.62-63

Variety 7 of 10
Boy meets dog, bonds with dad and foils a dangerous arsonist in "Firehouse Dog," a likable but ungainly mutt of a movie in which a very smart canine unexpectedly becomes fireman's best friend. Leaving no heartstrings untugged and no doggie-fart jokes uncracked, scruffy pic reps a very mixed breed of obvious humor, gently moving father-son drama and sub-"Backdraft" trial by fire...Familiar boy-and-his-dog scenario is enlivened by the fact that Shane initially loathes Dewey, who, far from acting like a normal stray, expects to be treated like the celebrity canine he is...Building-on-fire set pieces are workmanlike but capably handled, and not too scary for tots. Title role is well played by four red-coated Irish terriers (with the Tolkien-inspired names of Arwen, Frodo, Rohan and Stryder), though some of the dog's more athletic feats suggest possible f/x enhancements. - Justin Chang

Reel.com 6 of 10
The last time Bruce Greenwood and Steven Culp teamed together in a movie it was to play, respectively, John and Robert Kennedy in the Bay of Pigs saga Thirteen Days. That factoid will not mean anything to the youngsters that their new movie, Firehouse Dog, is meant to amuse, but it ought to give the kids' parents pause. After all, what are actors noted for their intensity doing in a family film? Good question, since the answer seems to be that neither the screenwriters nor director Todd Holland ever stopped to consider their target audience. As a result, they have ended up with a movie that is probably too intense for younger children yet too simplistic for their older siblings or grownups...The plot, blending crime (including murder) and the corrupt intersection of business and politics, is not exactly one that is going to hold the average seven-year-old's attention. As well, the movie's reliance on such gross-out jokes as Rexxx relieving himself into a pot of chili will not engage most parents. - Pam Grady