Mark Reviews Movies: CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG

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Review by Mark Dujsik | November 10, 2021

It all starts with some sweetness and good humor, but Clifford the Big Red Dog inevitably tumbles into the trap that has befallen so many simple, good-natured children's stories. It's not enough, apparently, that a little girl, her uncle, and 10-foot dog have to hide or try to appear normal. No, this seemingly easy-going tale, based on the illustrated series of kids' books by Norman Bridwell, also needs a villain, a subplot about a company trying to genetically modify food and animals, and a few chase and fight sequences.

For a while now, movies aimed primarily at kids have forgotten how to be gentle, and this one, unfortunately, is no different. The premise is about as tender as they come: a lonely 12-year-old girl, feeling as if she doesn't have a friend in the world, meets a cute little puppy by chance and loves it instantly. The dog will be that friend, and because it's also a magical pup, that same dog will end up teaching the girl a few lessons about standing up for herself, about responsibility, about making friends, and about what it means to love someone.

That's not to say Jay Scherick, David Ronn, and Blaise Hemingway's screenplay doesn't show and teach those lessons. It is to say, though, that their approach, along with director Walt Becker, isn't as charming and kind-hearted—or even as funny—as the basic setup. The thinking, perhaps, is that kids require a certain kind of humor and a lot of spectacle in order to be entertained. What the movie gradually seems to forget, though, is that the humor and the spectacle are right there in the eponymous character.

Kids (and a lot of adults) love dogs and all of the games, mischief, and fun they get into, and the only thing better than a normal-sized dog doing all of those usual doggy things is a big dog doing the same things. It's right there. The story doesn't really need much more.

We get it anyway. That's too bad.

Our protagonist is Emily (Darby Camp), who lives with her mother Maggie (Sienna Guillory) in a Harlem apartment. The girl's classmates at an exclusive school tease and bully Emily, because she and her family aren't nearly as rich as they are. Maggie doesn't get it, and she's not going to be able to help, since she'll be out of town for work. Emily's irresponsible uncle Casey (Jack Whitehall) will be the girl's babysitter while mom is away, and Whitehall, who easily could have played the goofy uncle at a 10, admirably keeps his antics to a manageable and consistently amusing 8.

Meanwhile, the outlier in a litter of puppies is left behind when its mother and siblings are taken to the pound by animal control. The little dog, with a bright red coat of fur, wanders the city. There, the puppy is saved by Mr. Bridwell (John Cleese), the slightly eccentric owner of a traveling animal rescue tent. Inevitably, Emily and Casey, on their way to school, come across the tent, and while Casey says his niece can't have the dog, it ends up in Emily's backpack. She names it Clifford.

The next morning, Clifford is big—as in, take-up-a-quarter-of-the-room big. Emily wants to find out why, and Casey wants to find Bridwell so that the strange man can take back the dog, before Maggie discovers the mess her brother has once again made of things.

This remains somewhat amusing and kind of sweet for a bit. Emily and Casey try to hide Clifford in the delivery truck the uncle calls home, but Clifford is too big and too energetic to be contained. There are some obvious gags, such as Clifford relieving himself on a tree and spraying everywhere like a garden hose, and some playful ones, such as the dog trying to fetch a large inflatable ball with a man inside it (There's something darkly amusing in thinking how quickly and easily all of this could become a horror story). Emily just wants Clifford to be safe and healthy, and Casey simply wants the dog out of his hair. Isn't that enough in terms of conflict for something wholesomely simple and simply wholesome?

Alas, it is not for this movie, which eventually has the CEO (played by Tony Hale) of an agricultural conglomerate searching for Clifford. He hopes the dog will possess the secret to genetically modify food to feed the world (Even though the head honcho is the bad guy, the movie is apathetic about the underlying issue, which makes it a strange inclusion). Eventually, the villain, his assorted goons and scientists, and even the cops start hunting Clifford. Some car and foot chases, a food-and-utensil fight in a bodega, and a climax that has the neighborhood regulars infiltrating the company's lab ensue.

All of that is busy and noisy and generically active, for sure, but what does any of that, really, have to do with the simple, heartfelt story of a girl and her dog? The decision to bring such excesses to Clifford the Big Red Dog is a disappointing miscalculation.

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