Air Bud (1997)
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45% of critics liked it
(20 reviews) -
42% of users liked it
(330,890 ratings)
The heartwarming story of a boy, his dog and a basketball forms the basis of this family comedy from Disney. Snively (Michael Jeter) is an unfunny clown whose appearances at children's parties are usually upstaged by his dog Buddy, who has learned how to shoot a basketball. Snively is tired of… More The heartwarming story of a boy, his dog and a basketball forms the basis of this family comedy from Disney. Snively (Michael Jeter) is an unfunny clown whose appearances at children's parties are usually upstaged by his dog Buddy, who has learned how to shoot a basketball. Snively is tired of being upstaged by the pooch, and he eventually abandons him. Buddy is taken in by Josh (Kevin Zegers), a shy boy whose father recently died. Josh's mother Jackie (Wendy Makkena) moves them to a small town in Washington, where the naturally withdrawn Josh doesn't quite fit in. Too shy to try out for the basketball team, he instead becomes team manager, and he practices on his own after the team goes home. One night, Josh discovers Buddy that can not only shoot hoops, but he's a better shot than anyone on the team. Coach Barker (Stephen E. Miller), hungry for victory, adds Buddy to the team and soon the dog with game is famous -- just famous enough, in fact, for Snively to return, demanding the return of his pet. Buddy the Dog was spotted by the film's producers shooting baskets on the "Stupid Pet Tricks" segment of The Late Show with David Letterman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Charles Martin Smith
- Written By
- Kevin DiCicco, Paul Tamasy, Aaron Mendelson
- Genres
- Comedy, Kids & Family
PG,
- In Theaters
- Aug 1, 1997 Wide
Critic Reviews
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Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
A high-flying dog tale for kids.
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Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
There's an air of acceptance throughout the film, but the movie never stops to stand at a pulpit and preach this message.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A basketball playing Golden Retriever shows his stuff on several high-school basketball courts.
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James Plath, Movie Metropolis
No basketballs were harmed during the making of this film.
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Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
I guess it was a pretty good movie, though I got a little bored halfway through and took a little snooze. I like air conditioning. There was lots of popcorn on the floor.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Michael Jeter
as Norm Snively
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Kevin Zegers
as Josh Framm
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Wendy Makkena
as Jackie Framm
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Bill Cobbs
as Arthur Chaney
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Eric Christmas
as Judge Cranfield
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Brendan Fletcher
as Larry Willingham
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Norman Browning
as Buck Willingham
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Jay Brazeau
as Referee
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Stephen E. Miller
as Coach Joe Barker
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Nicola Cavendish
as Principal Pepper
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Shayn Solberg
as Tom Stewart
- Buddy
