Show Dogs Surprisingly Lacking Baha Men

Show Dogs (2018)

Every year, I make a point to watch some bad movies, to really feel the difference when I see good or great movies. This year, I chose to watch Show Dogs and it surprised me. Show Dogs was certainly not a good movie, but it was much better than it deserved to be. A movie with the premise of a street tough NYPD dog voiced by Ludacris has to go undercover in the world of dog shows to catch an animal smuggler with a stolen baby panda. It was essentially Miss Congeniality with a lot more dog puns. For the first 20 minutes, I absolutely hated this movie. It was just a straight run of slapstick Will Arnett getting disrespected by dogs laying on some thick canine humor. I do understand the role of those scenes, though. They served the same purpose as the start of Rush Hour, to establish the conflict between the street level cop and the high and mighty FBI agent, but Show Dogs did it as a kids’ movie, not a family movie. But after a start littered with plot holes, narrative inconsistencies, and the worst jokes, it came together in the second act. As soon as the actual dog show started, the narrative shifted to sacrificing their pride for the sake of their duty, and it actually achieved. It shifted focus from gags and puns (which were still there, just not every 5 seconds) to developing characters and their relationships and motivations as they grew into a team. Arnett and the dog had surprisingly strong chemistry for someone acting to an animal that can’t talk back. Although the second and third acts were very predictable, they did wrap up the story nicely and did not drag out the movie. It was a short 92 minutes, since it cut the controversial scene from the trailers. Show Dogs actually looked nice, too. The CGI on the dogs was good except for when the little French dog vogued and dabbed, and the “action” scenes were serviceable. There were even some decent cameos. Show Dogs was overall a bad movie, but it served its purpose and did its best. I give Show Dogs 1 out of 4 Turner and Hooch references.