Bailey's Billion$ (2005)

Very disappointing...

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Right now this movie is rated 4.0 on IMDb and judged strictly on its merits as a movie probably deserves that. But we watched it and got a lot of entertainment out of it. Here's why.I remember Dean Cain mostly from his role as Clark Kent and Superman in the "Lois and Clark" TV series. Here he plays dog whisperer Theodore Maxwell, almost like the Clark Kent character, not good with words and clumsy, especially around pretty women. But he has a special talent, he can speak to animals, particularly dogs, and he can understand what they are saying.The pretty woman is Laurie Holden as Marge Maggs and we recognize from the very beginning that they will have some sparks.Jennifer Tilly has been in lots of roles but I remember her particularly for playing the blind lady in "Music From Another Room", and marrying the Hispanic man names Jesus. Here she is the evil Dolores Pennington who is out to get all the wealth for herself.Tim Curry has also been in lots of movies, but I remember him most for the 1975 "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Here he is the partner in crime, Caspar Pennington.So I enjoyed the movie mostly for the actors, watching them do their thing in a mainly inconsequential movie. But there is a story.The rich old lady has died and in her video-recorded will names her faithful dog Bailey as the heir, with Maxwell as the dog's guardian and handler. Jon Lovitz is the voice of Bailey. But the evil Dolores and Caspar are scheming to get all the $$Billions for themselves, while running an illegal dog breeding mill on the side. It is up to Bailey and the others to expose this and make everything right.

Bailey (a handsome golden retriever, voiced by Jon Lovitz) has just been left a billionaire by his recently deceased, animal-rights advocate owner. Naturally, the heiress' only relative, nephew Caspar Pennington (Tim Curry) and his greedy wife, Dolores (Jennifer Tilly) are ticked off royally. It seems this duo has already borrowed most of the grand lady's foundation money to fund a secret "puppy mill" behind the non-profits' headquarters and to foster their lavish lifestyle. To make matters worse, Bailey can not be bumped off without suspicion and, besides, he has a constant companion, Theodore (Dean Cain), an odd-duck animal behavioralist who can actually "talk" to the wealthy canine. As a front, the Pennington's employee a leading animal rights advocate, Marge (Laurie Holden) to handle the foundation's communications. Ever scheming, the Pennington's hit on the idea that they will "kidnap" Bailey and ask for ransom. Can they pull it off? This film, probably made on an ultra-slim budget, is just wonderful. First, the cast is marvelous, as Cain is a great attraction, even in glasses, and there is a subtle romance for him with the lovely Holden. Lovitz, too, does a fine job as the voice of Bailey. As for Curry and Tilly, they are a dynamic duo, with Curry doing his quietly sarcastic rants that serve as a perfect foil to Tilly's screechy explosions. All of the lesser characters, including the animals, are nice as well. Bailey's digs are a beautiful mansion with extensive grounds while the costumes and production values are quite fine, too. As for the script, it may be formulaic but it is fun, fun, fun, with enough action and suspense to tantalize the typical family audience, or indeed, anyone at all. Why don't you do what I did and plunk down a measly $5.00 bucks to purchase a copy of this winning flick? For a small investment, this films delivers big, big smiles and sighs.

I was a teacher in a Hamilton school where the crew ate their lunches between takes, as scenes from this one were being shot. I wanted to see street scenes I recognized, so I ordered in pay-per-view for my kids, 10 and 6. They seemed to like it. I didn't recognize a single Hamilton location. Moreover, I couldn't believe how few jokes were in the script, how thin the characters were, how uninspired the plot and the performances. I like Mary Walsh as a CBC satirist and she's created and played some funny newfie characters, but it's obvious that for this movie, she took the cash and handed in a quickly-written piece of doggy doo doo. I think we've seen the last of Bailey. Bow wow!

When I first found out about this movie, I didn't think that I would like it because I have never enjoyed rated G movies. I find them childish and the ending is always about family love (yuk). But this one is different, its funny, entertaining, and I never wanted to take my eyes off the screen during the entire movie. Best of all, correct me if I am wrong, no one kissed in the movie. So I could sit back and enjoy the comedy without the weird feeling of romance. There's 2 things i didn't like. 1)Why not hire pros to do the kidnap? 2)Who would make the doors of an underground illegal business so easily found and even easier to open?