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TITLE: “My Dog Skip” will have you skipping to the theater

By Coop Cooper, A.K.A. “The Small Town Critic”

Everyone remembers their childhood dogs and the impact they’ve had on

their life. Perhaps one dog in particular sticks out in your mind… a special

dog that was there for you in the toughest or best years of your life. That is

what this screen adaptation of Willie Morris’ “My Dog Skip” conveys in a

fun, nostalgic and heartbreaking kind of way. Morris recounts the

autobiographical memoir of his childhood in Yazoo City, Mississippi and the

four-legged friend that accompanied him on his journey into manhood.

Set in the backdrop of the war-torn world of the 1940’s, young Willie

(Frankie Muniz) is on the verge of his ninth birthday. His only real friend,

neighbor and high school sports hero Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson) goes off

and fight in WWII, leaving Willie feeling alone in the world. To lift Willie’s

spirits, his mother (Diane Lane) decides to defy the wishes of his stern father

(Kevin Bacon) and buy Willie a Jack Russell terrier puppy. The unusually

smart and charismatic dog Skip quickly becomes a local institution and helps

Willie gain respect, make friends and even win over his first girlfriend.

The young Morris is outstandingly played by Frankie Muniz, now a

household name due to his success on TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle.” His

acting is very mature and shows shades of emotions very effectively. Both

Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane do decent jobs of portraying caring and

concerned parents. Luke Wilson exceeds his normal comedy boundaries and

pulls off the disgraced town hero with surprising effectiveness. However

it’s the dog that steals the show… or should I say dogs. “Moose” (Eddie

from TV’s Frasier) and his son “Enzo” play the older and younger Skip

respectively. Look for them in more movies, commercials and TV shows to

come. I guarantee you’ll see them.

Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane’s characters were strong, but didn’t get enough

screen time to fully develop. Willie’s friendship with a young black boy was

never given a chance to develop either, probably in an effort by the

filmmakers to avoid focusing on the segregation issues of the time period.

The issue is addressed, but I feel that the African-American characters

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