Friday, May 25, 2018
Show Dogs Adoption Movie Review
When police dog Max botches a sting operation, smugglers
escape with a baby panda. Max promises that he will successfully retrieve the
panda, who is being taken to Las Vegas. Max teams up with a human agent and, in
order to get close to the panda, Max has to enter a dog show. He believes that
if he wins the show, he will be targeted as the next kidnapping victim, which
will bring him into proximity to the panda; however, Max’s love interest wins
and is also kidnapped; now he has two victims to rescue.
** SPOILERS AHEAD THE REST OF THE WAY **
The Adoption
Connection
There are some themes that could be relevant – and troubling
– for adoptive families. Kidnapping plays a central theme in the film – a baby
panda is separated from its mother. This could be a triggering theme for some
viewers. For kids who have been sexually abused, a particular scene could be
very problematic; I’ll cover that more in the “Challenges” section of this
review.
The entire field of Rottweilers, except Max, learn that they
are all related when Max guides them to discovering that they were all adopted
from the same town in Kentucky. While the newfound siblings celebrate, another
dog joins the scene declaring that she had puppies adopted from that town. The dogs
realize that this is their mother, and they have a joyous reunion, and are promptly
disqualified from the show because of their unruly celebration. It feels like
the adoption connection here is presented in a rather thoughtless way which
could be bracing and hurtful for some viewers.
Strong Points
Max and his human handler Frank overcome a rough start and
are able to work together to save kidnapping victims. The film does affirm that
we are better off when we trust people who see the world differently than we do.
Challenges
Felipe, a former dog show champion, has been abandoned. Max
finds him in a cage in the pound. When Felipe re-encounters his hold owner, he
attacks him. He complains that his owner “stole my dreams, ruined my life, and
abandoned me.” The owner’s new dog coldly says that Felipe “needs to be put to
sleep.”
Adoption is treated in an offhanded way in a scene discussed
in the “Adoption Connection” section.
Show Dogs has come into the news for a disturbing scene. Max
had to get a bikini wax in order to give the judges “a good look” at his
genitals, and part of being a show dog is having genitals examined by a judge.
Max is not comfortable with this. Frank and Felipe to prepare Max for the contest
by coaching and practicing with him. Max snaps at Frank’s touch, but Felipe
encourages Max to go to his happy place and to “focus on not reacting”. In the
actual contest, Max does go into his imagination while the judge is touching
his genitals – he dreams of dancing with Frank, and it would not be impossible
to interpret the scene as being romanticized. Max is congratulated after the
judge finishes touching him. I feel like the scene is profoundly troubling and
unwise. It would likely be particularly triggering and confusing for kids who
have experienced sexual abuse and is likely a poor choice for any child,
because regardless of the filmmakers’ intent, it could have the effect of normalizing
grooming behavior.
A creepy character tries to proposition Frank into having
Max breed with another dog. Max doesn’t want to, which infuriates the creepy
man.
Recommendations
There are so many problems with this one. Earlier this week
(I’m writing on 5/25/18), the filmmakers announced that they would be
re-cutting the film to remove the concerning scenes, and they’ll be
re-releasing it for the weekend of 5/27 with the scenes removed. It may be a
safer film to see, but the adoption elements are still insensitive, it’s
unlikely that the bikini wax scene will be removed as it didn’t generate the
same attention as the more obvious scene, and the underlying theme of
kidnapping could also be troubling for some viewers. The film doesn’t seem
likely to be entertaining for older kids, and for younger kids it feels like a strong
“skip.” I wouldn’t recommend this one. It’s not without some decent moments, but it is sitting at 18% on Rotten
Tomatoes right now, which feels about right. There are better movies with less problems. If your kids want to hang out with
talking animals, think about subbing in Zootopia this weekend.
Help Us :)
Questions for
Discussion
Max hurt his friend’s feelings when she realized that he didn’t
think dog shows were important. How could he have told her what he thought
without hurting her feelings?
What animal would be your ideal pet?
What would you have told Max if you knew that he didn’t want
to be touched by the judge? (Here’s a good chance to affirm to your kids the importance
of boundaries… but again, I’d suggest a different film.)
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