Bad Dog (2009 film)

Bad Dog is a 2009 live-action comedy film directed by Brian Levant and starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as the voice of Berkeley, the family dog. The film also stars Jon Heder, Nia Vardalos, Brooke Shields, Jason Lee, and David Spade.

The plot follows the Potanski family, who are struggling to keep their dog Berkeley under control. When they discover that he has a talent for acting, they decide to put him in a movie. However, when the movie's director (Spade) decides to cut Berkeley from the film, the family must find a way to get him back on screen.

Plot
The Potanski family are struggling to keep their dog Berkeley under control. When they discover that he has a talent for acting, they decide to put him in a movie. However, when the movie's director (Spade) decides to cut Berkeley from the film, the family must find a way to get him back on screen.

Casting
Cuba Gooding Jr. as Berkeley, the family dog

Jon Heder as Trevor Potanski, the eldest Potanski son

Nia Vardalos as Penelope Potanski, the Potanski daughter

Brooke Shields as Mrs. Potanski, the Potanski mother

Jason Lee as Mr. Potanski, the Potanski father

David Spade as the movie director

Characters
Berkeley: The family dog who is voiced by Cuba Gooding Jr.

Jon Heder as Trevor Potanski: The eldest Potanski child.

Nia Vardalos as Penelope Potanski: The only Potanski daughter.

Brooke Shields as Mrs. Potanski: The mother of the Potanski children.

Jason Lee as Mr. Potanski: The father of the Potanski children.

David Spade as the director of the film that Berkeley is in.

Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack was released on March 3, 2009, by Lakeshore Records. It features songs by various artists, including N.E.R.D, the Black Keys, and the Roots.

Development
Bad Dog was first announced in February 2008, with Brian Levant set to direct and Cuba Gooding Jr. attached to star as the voice of Berkeley. The film was set up at Fox 2000, with Levant and Gooding Jr. also serving as executive producers.

In May 2008, Jon Heder and Nia Vardalos joined the cast of the film, with Heder set to voice Trevor, the eldest Potanski child, and Vardalos set to voice Penelope, the Potanski's daughter.

The following month, Brooke Shields and Jason Lee signed on to voice the Potanski parents, with Shields set to voice Mrs. Potanski and Lee set to voice Mr. Potanski.

In July 2008, David Spade joined the cast of the film, voicing the director of the film that Berkeley is cast in.

Filming
Principal photography for Bad Dog began in July 2008 in Los Angeles.

Release
Bad Dog was originally set to be released on February 6, 2009, but was pushed back to March 27, 2009.

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 28, 2009.

Reception
Critical reception for Bad Dog was mixed.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 33%, based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. The site's consensus reads, "Cuba Gooding Jr.'s energetic performance as the voice of Berkeley can't save this formulaic family comedy from being just another forgettable live-action/CGI hybrid."

On Metacritic, the film has a score of 45 out of 100, based on 9 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

Box office
Bad Dog was released in 2,511 theaters on March 27, 2009 and grossed $5,711,534 on its opening weekend, ranking #9 at the box office. The film went on to gross $12,856,937 in North America and $2,741,937 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $15,598,874.

Visual-effects
The film's visual effects were provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and The Secret Lab.

Bad Dog was released in the United States on August 7, 2009.

Marketing
The film's marketing campaign was focused on Gooding Jr.'s voice performance as Berkeley. The campaign included a series of television commercials in which Gooding Jr. would say various things in Berkeley's voice.

The film was released in the United States on August 7, 2009. It received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing just $15 million against its $50 million budget.

Home media
The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on August 4, 2009.

Categories
2009 films

American films

English-language films

Direct-to-video films

20th Century Fox direct-to-video films

Films about dogs

Films directed by Brian Levant