Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) Paramount/Comedy-Adventure RT: 97 minutes Rated PG (impolite humor, thematic elements, mild action) Director: Walt Becker Screenplay: Jay Scherick, David Ronn and Blaise Hemingway Music: John Debney Cinematography: Peter Lyons Collister Release date: November 10, 2021 (US) Cast: Darby Camp, Jack Whitehall, Tony Hale, Sienna Guillory, David Alan Grier, Izaac Wang, Russell Wong, John Cleese, Paul Rodriguez, Horatio Sanz, Keith Ewell, Bear Allen-Blaine, Russell Peters, Tovah Feldshuh, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Alex Moffat, Kenan Thompson, Rosie Perez, Mia Ronn, Ty Jones, Yasha Jackson, Karen Lynn Gorney. Box Office: $49M (US)/$107.4M (World)
Rating: ***
Clifford, the giant good-hearted dog whose comical adventures have delighted generations of children, finally bounds onto the big screen in Clifford the Big Red Dog, a live-action/CGI adaption of the book series created by Norman Birdwell in 1963. I loved the Clifford books as a little (and not so little) kid. When I was sad, tales of the humongous red pooch went a long way towards cheering me up. I still get a kick out of them. What can I say; I’m a big kid at heart.
I was worried that director Walt Becker (Old Dogs) would ruin Clifford the Big Red Dog by giving him a voice much like the makers of Marmaduke did in the botched 2010 film adaptation. I’m relieved to report the canine remains speechless throughout. It’s how it should be. I’m also pleased to report Becker gets it mostly right. It hits more than it misses in telling the tail…. I mean, tale of when Clifford meets his human.
After being separated from his family (lousy dog catchers!), Clifford finds his way into the arms and heart of Emily Elizabeth (Camp, The Christmas Chronicles 1 & 2), a 12YO girl who feels like she doesn’t fit in. She attends a fancy private school where she’s bullied by mean girls who call her “Food Stamps” for being a scholarship student. She lives in a rent-controlled apartment with her single mother (Guillory, Eragon) who leaves her in the care of irresponsible Uncle Casey (Whitehall, Bad Education) when she has to go away on business for a few days. He happily accepts the babysitting gig; it beats living in his truck like he’s been doing for some time.
On the way to school one morning, Emily convinces Casey to take a detour through an animal rescue fair where she encounters the mysterious Mr. Bridwell (Cleese, A Fish Called Wanda) who introduces her to a tiny red puppy he found in the park. She instantly falls in love with the pup, but Casey won’t let her adopt him as it would not be responsible on his part. Also, the grouchy super (Grier, In Living Color) doesn’t allow pets in his building.
As if by magic, Emily finds the pup in her backpack when she gets home from school. After some debate, Casey allows the newly named Clifford to stay for one night. The next morning, Emily awakens to find her new little friend has grown significantly. It could be the tearful wish she made right before she went to sleep while cuddling with Clifford. Or it could be Bridwell was serious when he told the girl Clifford’s growth would depend on how much she loves him. Either way, he’s huge and it’s going to difficult to hide him, especially with his tendency to (inadvertently) destroy furniture and knock things over. He’s a playful one, that big rascal.
Clifford becomes a social media star after he saves somebody’s life. It’s not enough that it results in Emily and Casey getting evicted by the mean super, it also brings forth the villain of the piece, an evil corporate type named Zack (Hale, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip). He runs a biotech outfit called Lyfegro and is currently working on solving world hunger by making animals bigger. Every attempt has been a failure. When he sees Clifford’s video, he decides to kidnap him so he can do tests on him. It’s up to Emily to keep him safe with the help of Casey and her little school chum Owen (Wang, Good Boys).
Absolutely predictable but undeniably cute, Clifford the Big Red Dog is as funny and lovable as its big-hearted canine hero. Let’s talk about him for a moment. Obviously, there’s no way other than CGI to depict Clifford. Have you ever seen a dog the size of a house in real life? I haven’t. The blend of live-action characters/settings and a CGI pooch isn’t exactly seamless. It looks a little weird, but I’ve seen worse. Kids today are fairly savvy, so it’s likely they’ll notice this. However, they’re still young enough to not care.
I could go on to talk about the acting, writing, character development and other cinematic aspects of Clifford the Big Red Dog, but what’s the point? What it really comes down to is this; will the kids like it? I would say YES! What’s not to love about a dog whose heart is as big as his physical size? Becker steeps the movie in warmth and humor. Clifford occasionally gets into mischief like when he plays fetch in the park with a big inflatable bubble with a guy inside, but he’s also sweet and caring. Sure, he traumatizes Emily’s bully with a big slobbery kiss, but the little brat had it coming. BTW, Camp is good as Emily; she’s a likable kid.
Clifford the Big Red Dog is hardly groundbreaking. It tells a fairly routine story, but it has plenty of action and laughs. The little ones will definitely stay engaged. But what about the adult(s) who brought them? It’s not one of those unbearable deals like Angry Birds, Trolls and Ugly Dolls. It’s definitely more than tolerable. Those who read the books growing up will feel a wave of nostalgia washing over them. That’s how I felt anyway. It helps that I love dogs. I really enjoyed Clifford the Big Red Dog. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again on the big screen.
