Relentlessly nice, this coming-of-age tale of a boy and his dog
in Yazoo, Mississippi, during the early 1940s embraces just
about every cliche of the genre that one might imagine. Based
on the memoir by the late Willie Morris, it’s about an
undersized eight-year old (played by the precocious Frankie
Muniz of “Malcolm in the Middle”) whose acquisition of a
remarkably personable pooch (a Jack Russell terrier played for
the most part by Enzo, an offspring of Moose, who was Eddie
on “Frasier”) teaches him all about Life, Love, and Loss. Soon
little Willie develops a closer bond with his stern father
(Kevin Bacon), who’d lost his leg in the Spanish Civil War;
becomes pals with the neighborhood youngsters who’d earlier
bullied him endlessly; and even gets close to the cutest girl
in the school, sweet little Rivers (Caitlin Wachs). He also
deals with the apparent cowardice while serving in the military
of his idol, next-door neighbor Dink (Luke Wilson), and is
even introduced, ever so slightly, to the realities of racism
in his town.

As you can tell, the script offers ample opportunities for
scenes of juvenile high-jinks, puppy love of every possible
permutation and family bonding, in addition to frequent
moments of heartbreak and uplift as well as lessons about
accepting people different from oneself–all of which, when
accentuated by William Ross’ soupy score, ladled over climactic
moments like warm Maple syrup, should make for an almost
insufferable experience.

The fact that “My Dog Skip” isn’t intolerable, despite its
being, in the final analysis, a shameless tearjerker, is the
result of the considerable charm afforded by its cast, both
human and canine. Muniz, though far from the peculiar family
he’s part of on TV, remains a pleasantly impish kid, likable
without being overbearing about it. Bacon, who’s really
grown as a actor of late (see “Wild Things” and “Stir of
Echoes”) does a solid turn as his dad, and although she has
less to do, Diane Lane is fine as his mom as well. Wilson,
who’s often seemed ill-at-ease onscreen, does a nice, laid-
back turn as the troubled neighbor. And apart from Clint
Howard and Peter Crombie, who chew up the scenery pretty badly
as two moonshiners who threaten Willie and Skip at a couple
of moments, the supporting cast is colorful without becoming
obnoxious. Moreover, it’s hard to resist Enzo, a pooch who
exudes animal magnetism.

It’s inevitable that “My Dog Skip” has some sequences that put
young Willie, and even more importantly Skip, in jeopardy; and
the ending is calculated to draw tears from even the hardest
of hearts. For these reasons some very young children might
find a few moments emotionally trying, just as they could be
temporarily disturbed by “Bambi” or other older Disney flicks.
But overall, unlike such recent misfires as “A Dog of Flanders,”
this is a cannily-crafted, uncommonly satisfying piece of
family fare, and despite its almost absurdly manipulative
quality it should win over all but the most Scroogelike
moviegoer.

C+

A meandering movie about meandering people, Eric Mendelsohn’s
debut feature has many of the virtues and defects of a typical
promising student film. It’s got loads of atmosphere, moments
of real magic and insight, nifty black-and-white cinematography,
and some rich roles for good actors attracted by the script’s
quirky sensibility. But it’s also too self-consciously artsy
and slowly paced, so that by the end it’s come to seem more
affected than affecting.

A ruminative tale of suburban angst set on the second day of
the school year in a Long Island town portentiously named
Babylon, the plot focuses on the interlocking stories of five
characters. The three oldsters are dithering school principal
Bob Dishy, his oddball wife Madeline Kahn, and a brittle
teacher (Barbara Barrie) attracted to Dishy (as he is to her).
The two youngsters are Dishy and Kahn’s son David (Aaron
Harnick), an apparent Hollywood prodigy who’s fled home from
the coast in emotional crisis, and Barrie’s wacky, loquacious
daughter Judy (Edie Falco), a would-be thespian who’s just
about to leave to try her luck in California. Over the course
of the day, which just happens to coincide with a solar eclipse
(providing the necessary mood of mystery and surrealism), the
five interact, revealing in the process their hopes, fears
and desperations. A few other figures float ghostlike into the
narrative, most notably an elderly ex-teacher (Bette Henritze)
suffering from the first stages of Alzheimer’s. The film ends
on a note of uncertainty, with characters unable fully to
connect, but with a hint of reconciliation.

One can see why such pros as Dishy, Kahn, Barrie and Henritze
were attracted to Mendelsohn’s script: it provides them with
meaty dialogue and ample opportunity to shine in individual
moments. Falco and Harnick, too, impress as they walk about
the shadowy streets discussing their memories, experiences and
future plans. But ultimately the picture proves little more
than a cinematic exercise, atmospheric and skillful but offering
only a few stray insights rather than any major revelations.
One can appreciate its even-tempered, even sweet nature (after
all, it might have turned into a mean-spirited satire of lives
in Babylon); and it’s certainly nice to see the late Kahn in
a final role that provided her with memorable moments within an
overall context of quiet resignation. But while there are
many fine elements here, as a whole “Judy Berlin” ends up as a
rather precious bit of whimsy, too slight to linger in the mind
much longer than its brief running-time.