Thanks to a relatively gritty setting and an estimable adult cast, this sentimental story is rendered bearable for adults and children alike.
Comment
04/01/06
Lassie (2006)
92
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:66
Fresh:61
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.3/10
Consensus: A beautifully-made retelling of the classic border collie tale, one need not be a dog-lover to fall for Lassie.
Theatrical Release:16-12-2005
Synopsis: Eric Wright's classic novel about a boy and his dog is resurrected in this charming adaptation from Charles Sturridge (BRIDESHEAD REVISITED), which is a far cry from the Americanized TV show of the... [More]
Starring: Lassie, Samantha Morton, Peter O'Toole, Robert Carr
Director: Charles Sturridge
Reviews for Lassie
Top CriticThere’s not much to grumble about: most of the performances are nicely honed, the cinematography and editing’s excellent and, despite the swooning strings, it’s not too sentimental.
06/24/06
Top CriticLassie is a thoroughly enjoyable family film of the sort that they really don't make anymore. However, be warned, if you take young children to see this you may find yourself getting a border collie for Christmas.
02/11/06
The combination of everyone's favourite canine and eye-catching Irish and Isle of Man locations ensure this nostalgic shaggy-dog story sends you home with your tail wagging.
02/11/06
Top CriticWhat's that girl? What are you saying? That Peter O'Toole is more authentically barking than any actual dog in the cast?
02/11/06
Top CriticWhile solidly made, it might be too cute and uncomplicated for 21st century audiences.
02/11/06
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01/20/07
It plays your lacrimal glands like a violin, but honorably so.
09/01/06
The 1943 Lassie Come Home, starring then-child actors Roddy McDowall and Elizabeth Taylor as Joe and Cilla, is widely considered the gold standard to which all dog movies should aspire, but Sturridge's remake is a fine film in its own right.
09/01/06
No question about it, Lassie is a very traditional film, but good storytelling, fine acting and beautiful photography add up to a solid family entertainment that never lets us forget who the real star is.
09/01/06
Top CriticLassie is old-fashioned family entertainment, and I hope audiences aren't afraid to take a chance on a movie that might not be paced like a race car, but offers gentle adventure and alternative heroism instead.
09/01/06
Lassie has a fine cast, lots of calendar-pretty shots of Lassie in different seasons and a dog-owned-by-many-different-people plot borrowed from David Copperfield.
09/01/06
No, it’s not exactly realistic. But there is a sense of moral balance in Lassie’s world that’s enviable. People are cruel to the dog and bad things happen to them. Those who are good to her end up being rewarded.
08/30/06
Writer/director Charles Sturridge adapts the heart-warming story with strict attention to its modest emotional underpinnings of family, devotion, and a beautiful collie.
04/20/09
It's such a relief to settle into a film that lets dogs be dogs, children be children, and old-fashioned movies be old-fashioned movies.
09/01/06
...an utterly beguiling success.
09/07/06
'Lassie' is a rich, beautifully filmed affair for the whole family.
09/01/06
Never has Lassie's proletarian spunk felt so alive.
08/23/06
Leave it to the Brits to take back something ... and reinvent it into something that's so much better than the traditions they're trying to revive.
08/31/06
Here's what a classic family film should be -- intelligent without being smart-alecky, heart-warming without being smarmy and exciting without relying entirely on CGI.
08/31/06
Latest News for Lassie
January 10, 2007:
Golden Tomato Awards: "Casino Royale," "The Queen" Best-Reviewed of 2006
The 8th Annual Golden Tomato Awards were announced today, and "Casino Royale" and "The Queen" are the best reviewed wide and limited releases, respectively.... More...
October 05, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Departed" Is Best Reviewed Wide Release of 2006
This week at the movies, we've got cops and robbers in Boston ("The Departed," starring Jack Nicholson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Matt Damon), chainsaw massacres in Texas... More...
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