User Reviews

At least, the tabletop game was a lot more fun than this film. Bingo, the comedy film was dog-crap. As a kid of the 1990s, this kid movie was really hard watch at the time. Directed by Matthew Robbins, the film tells the story of a circus dog named Bingo trying to reconnect with his owner, Chuckie Devlin (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.), when both of them, got separate on a recent move to another state. Can Bingo find Chuck or will Bingo end up, being abandoned? Watch the movie to find out, if you want to! Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, this movie was pretty damn dark for a kid's film. It was really shocking to find out, that this film was rated PG at the time; due to fact, that the film has a lot of swelling, over-drinking, sex related themes and some rather graphic violence. However, it's the disturbing scenes that take the cake for me. There are tons of intense scenes where animals are being turn into meat sausages, going through fires, or getting shot at. That's hardly the worst, as the film really veer off from being acceptable as a family film, as adult-theme gags are introduce, such as Bingo meeting a sleazy prostitute named Bunny (Tamsin Kelsey), a large knife wielding escape prison convict, "Four-Eyes" (Wayne Robson), and a bunch of criminals, Lennie (Kurt Fuller), and Eli (Joe Guzaldo) who loves torturing children. Honestly, I have no clue, who this film was gear for? It's marketed as a kid movie, but most of the jokes seem for adults. I really doubt, any adults of a certain age would find this movie, fantastic to watch. After all, they could just watch, funnier more recent adult-driven comedies with dogs like 2011's TV Show 'Wilfred" or "Family Guy". The only ones, I can see, rewatching this film are the kids now turn adults like myself, just wanting to rant about it. However, that viewership is slim to none, since this movie bomb at the box office, went it came out. For children; I really doubt, kids of today, would find this film, very interesting, due to the fact, that, it's a bit dated. Also, because that there has been a large surge of unwatchable child-friendly dog movies that been circulating kid's film genre as of late. Not only has those films really oversaturate the market, but it makes films like this, harder to stand out. In my opinion, films like these, don't have a chance in being a good dramatic heart-warming film, compare to films like 2009's 'Hachi: A Dog's Tale' or 2008's 'Marley & Me'. Even, as adventure comedy about a dog trying to get back with its owner, this movie really fails to be, very entertaining as a kid's film. Films like 1993's 'Homeward Bound: Incredible Journey' shows a great mix of humor and heart. This movie hardly shows that. Most of the human characters are one-dimensional, unrealistic dog-hating villains. Even Chuckie's family was very crude and unlikeable to Bingo for some odd reason. They were just the worst. Very annoying parents, Natalie (Cindy Williams) & Hal Devlin (David Rasche) were. All they do is fight and yelled. The brother of Chuck, Chickie (David French) is nearly a borderline psychopath, because of it. I really don't think, Bingo should even reunited with Chuckie, just for that reason, along. God knows, what Chuckie's evil family, would do; once they get hold on him. As a spoof, in which, I believe, this film was going for. It's a lot better than, let's say, the 2005's film, 'Karate Dog', but not as good as '2001's Cats Vs Dogs'. While, the movie does have some funny low blow dark humor; sadly most of it, didn't hit my funny bone. I laugh more at the cheap awful visual effects in the film like puppet paws, more than the film jokes, itself. Still, it was nice to see Bingo, being able to telephone 911, know Morse code, drive a truck, do math, and even stop a bomb from exploding. I found the far-fetched nature of Bingo's actions to be, kinda funny. I also, like the female dog that portraying the very male, Bingo. I found her to be very cute, friendly and well-trained. Other things, that I kinda like, about the film is the theme song by Robert Gibbs. Its sound, very similar to 'Way Out There' by Carter Burwell, from 1987's Raising Arizona. It's somewhat catchy. Still, overall, this film seems to have missed its mark. Not only did it, not gain its intended target, overtime, but it's still being overshadow, by better animal related comedies. It's a long forgotten comedy that probably deserve that title. In other words: dog crap.

Although I saw that movie three times between September 2007, December 2008 on the Jetix channel and June 2010 on Disney XD and in January 2021 on Cinemax (because I live in Mexico) and in August 2021 on YouTube, I loved the film, especially the genre, the performances of actors like Cindy Williams. The scene of the persecution of the kidnappers and the police I liked, but the scene of the fire in the abandoned warehouse disturbed me 51.5%.

The scene appears where the kidnappers Lenny and Eli leave the abandoned warehouse, but Eli threatened Bingo and Chuckie with blowing up the place to incineration before setting the fire in the place (without realizing that the cigarette was lit and this caused it to be will burn everywhere). The scene where Bingo tried to untie Chuckie's hands to easily escape from the abandoned warehouse (then Bingo couldn't, because Chuckie's hands were tight and it's hard to break the ropes, well, he did break the rope a little bit) It was really painful, to such a degree that I felt pain in my hands.

The scene of the explosion where Bingo brought the suitcase with the bomb installed surprised me, but I laughed when Natalie, Chuckie's mother fainted with a surprised face when she saw the explosion where Bingo brought the bomb.

Very good movie, but I did not like the additional scenes that were disturbing and painful. Do not judge me, I myself analyzed since 2007.

I watched it constantly in 2016 while on the DXD channel and found it confusing. Also, additional scenes are inappropriate such as; first the kidnappers threaten to kill Bingo by pointing a gun at his head, second Chuckie fainted after visiting the trail, third the scene of the fire in the abandoned industrial warehouse where Bingo tried to untie Chuckie's hands it was very difficult to say, also Chuckie after inhaling smoke in the fire is unconscious, and the last the detonation of the bomb where Bingo brought the suitcase with the bomb installed to carry as far as possible were very strong.

It was supposed to be a movie rated PG-13 for having strong scenes and it should not have been rated for all audiences, if the movie would be PG-13 in the US and B in Mexico it would be fine, but no; it is the opposite, it is rated by PG in the U. S. and A in Mexico. It is not a film for children, because the scenes are very strong as well as bad. What a confusing film.

What's the point in getting away with a film that an imbecile could love? Ever since i first saw this film, i was determined to see it as a sturdy movie that did'nt have bad acting and a weak-arse ending. I Know it's a cliché but i reliably think this film is too much for me to handle, and i agree with it having a 4.1. And When it comes to 'Circus Dogs' i just know that a few severe reviewers could recommend this to lose such an idiotic budget that could make this film forbidden, I Eagerly want this film to be more significant in future. Buy the way, I'm talking uber randomness so i could fit this all in the text-box! BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH!

Marketed as a PG family movie, the kid swears and him and his brother flip each other the bird. That's to say nothing of the numerous threats and attempts of shootings, and weird hostage situation(s).

There is a scene in this movie where a guy is serving stray dogs as hot dogs at a roadside stand. I don't think there is a child, to whom this movie was exclusively marketed, alive that would find this enjoyable and not upsetting.

Overall the plot is very standard fare: abused circus animal is forced to run away when its owner tries to shoot it. He meets up with an outcast child who's brother goads him into jumping his bike across a river which leaves him face down in a river with an open head-wound. Luckily the dog is able to pull him out, perform CPR and then strip him naked to prevent hypothermia, despite being in a locale where everybody's breath is visible when they speak.

This leads to the kid trying to hide the dog from him family, which could not be less concerned with his 24 hour absence and visible head-wound upon his eventual return. There's no real comedy here despite going through the movements of setting up would-be gags.

There is a story about an emperor that got new clothes, magical ones, which were said to be invisible to stupid people. The thing is, there were no clothes, so no one could see anything but a naked man. For fear of the others thinking they were stupid, no one said they couldn't see anything.

Well, this film is somewhat like that tale, but the new clothes do actually exist, visible in plain sight, but stupid people cannot see them!

In the beginning of the film, we have a boy dreaming. The camera work is bizarre and the action flows weirdly. The viewer is taught what a dream looks like in this film.

Then the protagonist appears. Obviously, he's so much smarter than any human in the film. He's not perfect, but, then again, a hero without flaws is boring. We got to see him evolving and becoming exceptional.

Many things happen and, nearing the end, the canine hero has a though mission, save his boy from a bomb about to explode. He manages to pick the bomb and run off camera. A moment later, we hear an explosion, and nothing else.

Immediately after that, we get another dream sequence. All characters in the film show up there, even the villains, cheering up happily the boy and the hero dog, who is finally shown, covered in bandages, but we can see he's got only minor scrapes... The end... Credits row...

How many films have you seen with multiple endings overlapping? I'm not talking about films like "Upstream Color" (2013), which has no ending (or plot, for that matter), leaving all interpretations to the viewer. What I'm talking about are films with unambiguously simultaneously different endings, depending on perception of details by the viewer, like "Blade Runner" (1982), "The Thirteenth Floor" (1999), and "The Matrix" series (1999, 2003).

"Bingo" may not appeal to all, for several reasons (I know how badly non-human actors may be treated off camera, like Flipper or Keiko, or even off stage, like all marine mammals at Sea World), but as far as this genre of film goes, it's by far the best, not only criticising the genre itself, but doing it in a cinematographically interesting way, giving something for both little children that see a perfectly happy ending, and adults, that see the gloomy side of hero work.