My Dog Skip (2000)

I have heard nothing but good things about this movie so I finally rented it on the excuse of sharing it with my youngest child who esp. loves animals. It's an all-American, nostalgic, Norman Rockwellian view of a WWII-era small-town boy in Mississippi (Frankie Muniz) who learns the big lessons in life because of his loyal, spirited dog. Swelling string interludes and pro-war jingoism alternate with authentically sentimental reflections and sage nostrums about friendship and growing up. At one point I wasn't sure how the dog's part in the movie was going to be resolved, and as our heartstrings were tugged, I thought, "They'd better not kill off this dog...!" Kevin Bacon does a fine job as the war veteran father and Diane Lane as the mother does well too. The story feels a little formulaic at times (esp. when the strings well or the townsfolk jeer at poor downtrodden Frankie on cue) but it has real moments of truth and goodness. It's like a ten-year-old's version of a Nicholas Sparks novel or Fried Green Tomatoes. Three stars.