A runaway dog saves a little boy?s life, beginning a friendship that crosses the nation. Dogcatchers, kidnappers, hospitals and even prison can?t keep the two best friends apart! Starring Cindy Williams (TV?s "Laverne and ... more »Shirley"), David Rasche (Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood), and Robert J. Steinmiller, Jr. (The Ref).« less
"I used to watch this movie all the time. Not so much because it's one of the greatest dog-centric films ever made, but just because of its pleasing nature. It's cute, it's funny, and charming, and entertaining. It doesn't go overboard in any of those areas, but has just enough of each to make it a nice movie to watch. Somewhat geared toward adults language-wise? Perhaps, yes. But there's nice acting from dogs and people alike and some memorable scenes (and, yes, some violent ones). But naturally, Bingo always comes through and saves the day. This is a fun family film."
Not great, not bad. There are better animal flicks.
Matthew | Boulder, Colorado | 11/12/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"If I had to categorize Bingo, it is definitely intended more as a pet comedy than as a pet adventure. In fact, some of the comedy is to the point of absurdity when people treat Bingo as a human. Regarding the focus, the film bounces back and forth between being exclusively about the dog or about the boy & his family.
Pretty standard plot devices: 1) Remarkable dog who is unwanted & unappreciated by adults. 2) An oddball family with a mean older brother, over-protective mother, and a preoccupied father who wants to toughen up his youngest son. 3) Typical inept villains - a stupid, mean one who thinks he's not stupid and an even stupider, dopey one who doesn't know any better. 4) The dog saves the day and eventually endears himself to everyone.
I bought this as a family film to watch with my 4yo son, but it is rated PG for good reason. Bingo is really not for younger children. Lots of unnecessary language - GD, s**t, da**it, smarta**, hell, and a couple lesser phrases that you may not want your young ones incorporating into their daily vocabulary - some shut-ups, stupids, jerks, nuts, and dumbs. What stuck out is that this was a family movie and the language seemed completely unnecessary. It sure didn't add anything.
A few disturbing scenes for young viewers - hot dogs made out of real dog, a couple scenes of children looking at adult magazines, a scene of a vehicle crashing into a storefront with people in a cage in back, a prostitute in a hotel room, a kidnapped family all tied up, heavy gunfire, knife fight, and so on.
Lots of uncouth humor - pee and poo gags, dog gender jokes, and the like. Funny to older children, but maybe not appropriate for younger ones.
Some good gags - traffic cop giving the dog a sobriety test, the dog driving a car, a court reporter reading back the dog's testimony, and evading search lights in a prison yard.
All in all, it's not a bad film, just not worth any special praise either. It's mediocre.
If you don't already own them, there are plenty of better dog adventures - Milo & Otis, Homeward Bound, Napoleon, Eight Below; as well as better dog comedies - live-action 101 Dalmatians, Babe, Air Bud, Beethoven, and so on.
Aspect ratio is standard, full-frame 1.33:1."
Bizarre but good.
The Godfather | Urbana, IL USA | 03/08/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is a bizarre movie but it is good. An abused dog runs away from the circus and a young boy finds him. The family isn't interested in keeping the dog and they are moving anyway (Dad is an NFL placekicker). They move and the dog sets off to follow his new friend. The movie focuses on the dog's adventures. The bizarre thing is that sometimes he's a normal dog and sometimes he seems to take on human qualities. By the way, the dog who plays Bingo is the real life mother of Maui, who played Murray on TV's "Mad About You.""
Bad Bingo
Lisa Cybul | Southern California | 05/14/2009
(1 out of 5 stars)
"Don't bother! The young boy says "Holy S***" and the dad says "d***" within the first 20 minutes alone! Besides the language, the concept of centerfolds and scantily clad circus performers appear for no reason at all. The parents of this boy are horrendous. There were no redeeming qualities to this movie. I recycled ours (couldn't even bring myself to subject anyone at Goodwill to own it!). If you think I'm just being overprotective, then skip it simply for the extremely bad acting. No matter how you look at it, it is bad Bingo!"
And Awful Was Its NAME-O
L.N. Cronk | North Carolina | 08/13/2008
(1 out of 5 stars)
"This movie will only be appreciated by the youngest of crowds...so WHY ALL THE BAD LANGUAGE? It's touted as a "Family" film..what family would want to sit around watching little kids cuss and give each other the finger?
Maybe it's for an older audience? Ummm...no. The dog drives a car, has a one night stand, testifies in court, gets a nasal membrane transplant (b/c his smeller has worked too hard), administers CPR...Need I go on? Oh...and he spends much of the movie tracking down his human friend who has left him a URINE trail to follow. No wonder his smeller needs to be replaced."