John Travolta Upstages Robin Williams in Old Dogs
The movie Old Dogs was released by Walt Disney in November of 2009. The movie stars John Travolta and Robin Williams. It also stars John Travolta’s wife, Kelly Preston, and John Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu Travolta. Old Dogs also had several cameo appearances by some well known actors including Seth Green, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Rita Wilson and Ann-Margret. Sadly, it was the last movie that actor Bernie Mac made before his death.
Old Dogs is a comedy. And who is the king of comedy? Robin Williams! I think Robin Williams is one of the funniest human beings to have ever lived. I remember following his antics as Mork, when the hit TV series Mork & Mindy first came out. I’ve also followed, with enthusiasm, his standup, TV and movie ventures ever since his hit series. Robin Williams is one of the most entertaining guests on any talk show – always serving up his signature brand of ad lib hilarity.
Before Old Dogs, the last thing I recall seeing John Travolta in was the remake of The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3. Before that, I think it was Swordfish. In both movies he plays a really bad guy – something John Travolta has proven he can excel at. The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, which also starred Denzel Washington, was not a very popular movie, but John Travolta did an outstanding job of bringing a heartless and angry criminal to life on the big screen.
When I went to see Old Dogs, I figured I’d be seeing a lot of Robin Williams carrying John Travolta. It only made sense. Robin Williams is the comedian here – not John Travolta. So needless to say, I was more than a little shocked to discover that not only did John Travolta carry his own comedic weight, he actually stole almost every scene away from Robin Williams. In fact, it almost seemed as though the director of Old Dogs, Walt Becker, used Robin Williams as the dramatic lead and John Travolta as the comedic lead – not vice-versa.
Old Dogs has not been getting very good reviews, sadly. The critics are saying that Old Dogs is shallow slapstick that lacks true dramatic emotional appeal. I guess I’d have to agree with that. Then too, Caddyshack was shallow and slapstick, as was young Frankenstein – just to name a couple of great movies with no film school-esque appeal.
If you are looking for some profound dramatic entertainment, I would not suggest that you go and see Old Dogs. However, if you’re looking for some light hearted, funny, suited for the entire family entertainment, I’d say give Old Dogs a watch. I’ve left a link to the trailer on YouTube in the sidebar so you can get a taste of Old Dogs for yourself.
Old Dogs has some very funny scenes. When John Travolta and Robin Williams get their respective medications switched around by Robin Williams’ mischievous kids, the results are hilarious. Both actors get their fair share of camera time during this 5 minute scene, but it’s John Travolta who really shines. Maybe it’s his bigger-than-life screen charisma that sells his comedic acting so well. Who knows? What I do know is that it’s no small feat to upstage Robin Williams in a comedy – and John Travolta does that in Old Dogs.
Save for his role in the TV series Welcome Back Kotter, which went off the air in 1979, I was not a fan of John Travolta’s early work. Since about 1990, however, he’s won me over with his characters. John Travolta plays a superb bad guy – remember Pulp Fiction? But now that I’ve seen his comedic chops, I hope to see him accept more roles where he gets to make us laugh, instead of scaring us.
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