jason-13659 Charming period piece about a boy and his dog...and so much more. In the end we see an older Willie, played by Michael Berkshire (check out his work in Little Marines II as well). If Blade Runner can do a sequel 23 years later, why not Skip? A grown up Willie as a veterinarian would be awesome. Plus it would be a great vehicle for Berkshire to return to the big screen. He has been woefully underused lately in my opinion. This could be just the career boost he needs, like Travolta after Pulp Fiction.

Antonio Ramon It's a simple film: no special effects, no complex camera movements, no explosions, or buildings falling down, monsters flying or running. No. Just a movie about a boy and his dog and how it's complex grow up, but can be fun, at the same time. "My Dog Skip" (2000) is one of that movies where you know will find emotional scenes or happiness moments, but even so you watch. Is it a predictable movie, maybe? Yeah, but this does not detract the shine of a story about a shy boy and his discovery of life. Willie Morris, or Will for his parents (because he don't have any friend of his age) it's a shy and alone boy, living on the calm town of Yazoo on the dark years of WWII. As he describe at the beginning: "Ten Townsend souls and nothing to do". Is this a nice place to live and grow? Not for Willie. Without friends, his life is empty and he's constantly annoyed by other boys. His parents try to understand the son, especially his father, described by Willie as a "soldier of Spanish Civil War, where lost part of his leg… and sometimes, I believe he's lost the heart too". His mom is sweet and understandable, trying to help her boy. Well, his life changes when he won a dog on his birthday. Called Skip, the animal will be the way of Willie understands himself and how to confront the world. Skip helps the boy to make friends, talk with his love girl and finally, be mature... grow up. This is the soul of "My Dog Skip". The director Jay Russell tries, at the first shoot, connect the story with his public. To be more specific: connect the characters with the public. When the dog appears, this important thing (connection) becomes more important. What does that means? It means that we'll care about the characters, their conflicts, problems… their lives. It's how if we could see ourselves on silver screen. To create a story, beyond the boy discover himself, Jay Russell adds a stolen of beers. The thieves are hiding drinks on the cemetery. But this part of the screenplay it's not so important than we discover how Will confront the life, the social problems (racism and racial segregation – we don't have to forget that the story takes place at 1940's) and moral conflicts (his best friend disinherits the Army and come back dishonored). All this things are seen by the point of view of a boy. It's a good movie, even if we know how will be the final, we see. Just because the director tried to connect the characters, the conflicts with the public. It's very grateful see this worry, a thing that, unfortunately, was forgotten by the directors and screen writers. "My Dog Skip" it's an old movie (have 15 years old), but must be revisited many times, just for understand how its important connect the story with public. Emotional, funny, sometimes sad, and the point of view of a boy about the growing… and how a dog can change the life forever. This is the soul of "My Dog Skip"!

Raul Faust Well, as this movie began, I thought I was really going to enjoy it, since the main premise of the plot seemed beautiful. When I was younger, I had the same issue that Willie had: I was in love with dogs, but my parents wouldn't allow me to have one. So, that being said, I sincerely wanted to enjoy the rest of this story, but it felt VERY difficult to do. The plot isn't any well written; as a matter of fact, Willie is a cute kid and all, but there isn't anything interesting going on to catch spectator's attention on the story. Willie and those young bullies do a lot of boring things, and I doubt that even kids can enjoy the young characters portrayed in this film. Also, I don't think that actors involved in this project tried to do their best, considering that performances are just average-- or less--, so it makes me wonder why "My Dog Skip" has such a good rating on IMDb. If I were you, I would just skip this flick and watch "Hachi: A Dog's Tale" again.

wes-connors Picturesque Yazoo, Mississippi in the summer of 1942 is where dog-eared Frankie Muniz (as Willie Morris) celebrates his ninth birthday. Pretty mom Diane Lane (as Ellen) has the perfect gift for her lonely son, an only child who is picked on by his peers for favoring books over football. Mother Lane wants Muniz to have a terrier puppy, although stern father Kevin Bacon (as Jack) vetoes the idea. He says Muniz is too young to accept the responsibility, but Mr. Bacon really worries about his son experiencing the painful side effect of unconditional love. Bacon soon succumbs to Lane's instance, and "Skip" stays in the picture..."Skip" (short for "Skipper") teaches Muniz to play football as well as read books. He overcomes shyness to go hand-holding with the prettiest girl in elementary school, Caitlin Wachs (as Rivers Applewhite). After much frolicking, we see some inevitable drama… so, if sad movies always make you cry, be prepared to shed a tear here and there… maybe even a bucket… The sentimental "My Dog Skip" begins to falter when the subplot involving "moonshiners" takes center stage; they clearly built this episode up to steer the drama, but it is excessively contrived and manipulative. Otherwise, this is an excellent, kid-friendly tearjerker.There are two particularly outstanding elements. First, the setting is recreated beautifully. Art and set direction are the film's most obvious strengths - with stellar work from David Bomba, Tracey Doyle and the crew. Notice how well director Jay Russell and photographer James L. Carter keep the setting aligned to the story being based on Willie Morris' youthful memories. Therefore, we get idealized recollections, with racism barely visible and the horror of wartime combat unfolding slowly in both Morris' mind and Bacon's sure-footed performance. Finally, the narration, whether or not verbatim, sounds like Willie Morris' prose.******** My Dog Skip (1/8/00) Jay Russell ~ Frankie Muniz, Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson