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Movies / On DVD / Lassie
Lassie

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Lassie (2006)

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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.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some mild violent content and language

Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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 1950s. Unfolding in Yorkshire, England, just before WWII, the film makes the most of its low budget and is quite successful at evoking the era. Joe (Jonathan Mason) is the only son of a poor miner, Sam (John Lynch), and his steadfast wife, Sarah (Samantha Morton, MORVERN CALLAR). Joe's story is paralleled by that of Priscilla (Hester Odgers), the poker-faced granddaughter of the ostentatiously wealthy duke (a grand Peter O'Toole). Priscilla takes a liking to Lassie when she spots the dog in the street. The duke tries to buy Lassie from her family, and when the mine is shut down, Sam has no choice but to accept his offer. Lassie's allegiance, however, is not so easily transferred, and she constantly finds ways to escape the confines of her new home, even when she is taken to Scotland. Undertaking the long journey back to Joe, Lassie makes friends--and a few enemies--along the way, including a charming Peter Dinklage as Rowlie the roving puppeteer. The photography of the English and Scottish countryside is truly breathtaking, and Lassie is eternally endearing as the symbol of freedom, loyalty, and friendship--virtues that are valued and epitomized in the film by young and old, rich and poor. This is a film in which you can always tell the bad guys because they don't like dogs. [More]

Starring: Lassie, Samantha Morton, Peter O'Toole, Robert Carr

Starring: Lassie, Samantha Morton, Peter O'Toole, Robert Carr, Peter Dinklage, Edward Fox, Kelly MacDonald, Jonathon Mason, John Lynch, Hester Odgers, Jemma Redgrave, Steve Pemberton

Director: Charles Sturridge

Director: Charles Sturridge
Producer: Francesca Barra
Composer: Adrian Johnston
Studio: Roadside Attractions/Samuel Goldwyn Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Lassie

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
01/20/07
Philip French
Philip French
Observer [UK]

Thanks to a relatively gritty setting and an estimable adult cast, this sentimental story is rendered bearable for adults and children alike.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Anna Smith
Anna Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There’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.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lassie 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.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
02/11/06
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

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.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
02/11/06
Neil Smith
Neil Smith
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

What's that girl? What are you saying? That Peter O'Toole is more authentically barking than any actual dog in the cast?

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment 1 Comment
02/11/06
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

While solidly made, it might be too cute and uncomplicated for 21st century audiences.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
02/11/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/19/09
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

It's too bad that dog whisperer Cesar Millan wasn't available to get the plot to heel.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
08/31/06
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
eFilmCritic.com

Lassie wears thin. It's a little too long, and by the end the tugs on your heartstrings feel more like heartstring muggings.

Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
08/31/06
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD

Fans of the original book should be pleased, but we were mostly bored.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
09/01/06
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
E! Online

Sturridge sometimes overplays his hand, piling on the sentimental clichés and goosing the violin music.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
09/01/06
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

Call me hard to please, but Charles Sturridge's film leaves me unmoved and unengaged by the lovely story...Lassie should rip our hearts out, or at least make us rip our hankies out.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
03/04/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

It plays your lacrimal glands like a violin, but honorably so.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
09/01/06
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

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.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/01/06
Angel Cohn
Angel Cohn
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
09/01/06
Bill Zwecker
Bill Zwecker
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lassie 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.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
09/01/06
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
FilmJerk.com

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.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
09/01/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

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.

Full Review Source: Associated Press | comment Comment
08/30/06
Christy Lemire
Christy Lemire
Associated Press

Writer/director Charles Sturridge adapts the heart-warming story with strict attention to its modest emotional underpinnings of family, devotion, and a beautiful collie.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/20/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Latest News for Lassie

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