Air Bud
Dogs are to balls as ducks are to water. They go together very well. In Air Bud, Buddy the Dog worked magic with a basketball. Along the way, Buddy also helped his young master gets out of a depression caused by the death of his father.
Buddy played a bitingly decisive role, too, in a custody case involving his former owner. All in a day’s work for a dog. A dog like Buddy, of course.
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In 1997, director Charles Martin Smith worked with writers Kevin DiCicco, Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn to produce the movie Air Bud for Walt Disney Productions. Also in the team were Michael Jeter as Norm Snively, the first owner of Buddy, Kevin Zegers as Josh Framm, the latter owner of Buddy and Buddy as Buddy, himself. The basketball which featured so prominently in the movie was unnamed.
The air bud film began with the Framm family, minus the recently deceased father, moving into the small town of Fenfield, Washington. Said family comprising one mother, one 12-year-old boy and one kid sister. Understandably, Josh, the young boy, was still suffering from the depressing effects of having just lost his father. He had problems finding a new direction in his life and was having problems integrating into the local school community.
Things began to change for the better when Buddy, the Golden Retriever inadvertently dropped by his loathsome owner, entered Josh’s life. Josh liked basketball and Buddy was a wizard with the ball. The two made it into the school team which soon had a change of coach. Said new coach being a former basketball star. Arthur Chaney of the 1956 New York Knicks, no less.
The basketball team with the canine star made the headlines and attracted the attention of Snively, Buddy’s former owner, who, seeing the money-making potential of the dog he once wanted to throw away, came back to reclaim Buddy. However, Snively was decisively out-manoeuvered in court by the canny canine. Buddy went on to help the team score in the final championship game.
Buddy was fantastic as a basketball player. His trainer must have really spent a lot of time honing Buddy’s shooting skills. Of course, getting Buddy to play ball was a piece of cake as all dogs loved playing with balls. It was really amazing to see Buddy shooting all those baskets. Scoring every time, too, without a miss. Maybe they just edited the ones that didn’t make it.
The canine star of this movie was a Golden Retriever, easily the friendliest dog breed in all of caninedom. I remember being greeted like a long-lost friend the very first time I met my student’s Golden Retriever. Golden Retrievers are large dogs with long, golden hair and make very good companions for children because of their playful temperament and gentle disposition.
Kevin Zegers played a believable role as Josh Framm. He was realistic as a young boy whose bereaved heart was healed by the therapeutic influence of a canine companion. Michael Jeter, as Norm Snively, convincingly acted out the despicable role which was characteristic of many people who only knew how to use and abuse animals for their own selfish ends. It was a good thing Buddy was a Golden Retriever. If Buddy was, say, a Dobermann Pincher, Snively would have had his throat ripped out in the court case scene.
The saddest part of the air bud movie came after the show was over. Buddy passed away. I would look forward to seeing “Son of Buddy” if there is one.
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