Back in 1997, when I first heard about Air Bud a film that revolved around a basketball playing golden retriever, I thought “there’s another way someone’s trying to make a buck off Michael Jordan’s moniker. While that was likely true, once I saw Air Bud, I was immediately taken. Always a sucker for Animal flicks, I enjoyed sitting and watching a dog perform basketball tricks and help a shy young boy overcome his shyness at the same time. In my mid twenties at the time of the film’s release, Air Bud reminded me of some of the animal based movies I enjoyed as a child: Ol’ Yeller, Benji, Where the Red Fern Grows and Dr. Doolittle to name a few. While many of these films wouldn’t necessarily be considered classics, they were entertaining and taught young people the value of friendship and caring; Air Bud did the same thing for young viewers in 1997.
After the death of his father, 12-year-old Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers), moves with his family to Washington State. Saddened by his father’s death and too shy to make friends, Josh mostly keeps to himself. One day, he discovers an old basketball court behind a church and forms a special bond with the courts resident golden retriever, Bud. As it turns out, Bud has some serious hoop skills.
Remember, this is Hollywood, so around this time Air Bud expects viewers to take some serious leaps in logic. Buddy suddenly becomes the mascot for Josh’s basketball team. From there, Buddy becomes a player in a game. A championship game. And there’s no shortage of nemeses in this film. The star player who gives Josh the most trouble and his dad Same with the coach, who was released for tactics unbecoming a sensitive human being. But hey, this is Hollywood, and a doggie version of it, so what do you expect?
Zegers does a good job of looking all sad and bummed, but the real noteworthy performances come from character actors Michael Jeter (who plays a clown) and Bill Cobbs as Arthur Chaney, a former NBA player working as a janitor in the school who teaches the boys how to play as a team.
Air Bud is a fairly simple story. Yes, it has clichés and scenes we as adults have seen countless times. However, Air Bud does what it set out to do; It connects with a young audience that might be feeling less-than-athletic, or lonely, bummed because Mom and Dad won’t let them have a pet, or struggling to cope with a divorce or the loss of a parent. And there’s something to be said for that.
The video quality is decent, with natural-looking skin tones and bright jersey colors. Air Bud is presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and “enhanced” for 16×9 televisions.
The audio is a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround in English or Spanish, with Spanish subtitles. Most of the film is either dialogue or the sound of a ball bouncing, and so the center speaker and front mains carry most of the load.
The most visible “extra” is a Buddy dog-tag that’s included in special packaging. You don’t have to keep the disc in this oversized cardboard sleeve, because the disc itself is housed in a standard keep-case. In addition to the theatrical trailer, the only other bonus feature is a new commentary track that’s in-character. The five Buddies join their dad, the original Buddy, to talk about the movie from a dog’s point of view.
