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Benji - Off the Leash
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Manufacturer: Good Times Video
Find all by Good Times Video
Directed By: Joe Camp
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical Release: December 3, 2008
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
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Retail Price: $9.98
Online Sale Price: $9.98
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Starring: Neal Barth, Benji, Carlton Bluford, Nate Bynum, Joe Camp
Mr hatchett is furious when his best breeder gets free & mates with a mongrel but his son colby befriends the cutest of the mixed-breed pups. To save a fellow loner colby hides the puppy in his homemade fort where benji soon becomes full-grown & frees his sick mother from the illegal breeding factory. Studio: Gaiam Americas Release Date: 10/04/2005 Run time: 99 minutes Rating: Pg
User Submitted Benji - Off the Leash Reviews
August 5, 2008
This is a "PG" rated movie, people.
I don't get these people who are complaining that this movie is not for kids. It's almost like they forget that the movie is rated "PG" - not "G." It gets the PG rating for a reason - as stated in the other reviews. This is not the light fluffy Benji from your childhood, it's an updated version that addresses puppy mills. Not exactly a "G" movie topic.
Was the movie great? Well, the script was lacking, the characters were VERY broadly portrayed, and there were a couple scenes not for young sensitive children (read: kids under five years old). So for all intents and purposes, no, the movie wasn't great.
But I loved it anyway. For all its flaws, it had me at hello and I loved it. So did my daughter, who asked to watch it again as soon as the closing credits began to play.
To those who claim it's not a family movie - they are wrong. This is an EXCELLENT movie for families to watch together and gives the opportunity to parents explain to children why puppy mills are bad and why ASPCA is beneficial for your local community. It's an excellent tool to educate children about those issues.
April 7, 2008
Benji takes a stand against animal abuse!
I thought this movie was excellent. The subject of animal abuse is heart wrenching for anyone with a ounce of compassion, but the whole world needs to know what sort of conditions that the parents of that cute little purebred puppy may be enduring. Many puppy mills are far more horrendous than the one seen in this film. [...]
Please note, this movie does have humor and warm fuzzy moments. I loved it! The best Benji movie ever!
December 29, 2007
TERRIBLE MOVIE --- NOT FOR KIDS!
I bought two copies of this DVD, assuming that it would be a cute dog movie to give to my four year old son and his friend for Christmas. I couldn't have been more wrong. First of all, the father in the movie is a dog breeder who is not only abusive to his dogs, but his wife and son as well. In one scene in the movie, the father, mother and son are at the police station. While they are there, the police officer pushes back the mother's hair, exposing a bruise on her forehead. While abuse is certainly a disturbing reality for some families today, the topic does not belong in a family movie that is likely to be viewed by young children. Beyond the topic of abuse, the rest of the storyline has little/no redeeming value. I am shocked that Reader's Digest gave this movie their Seal of Approval. I do not recommend this movie for children or adults of any age.
April 28, 2007
Disturbing, Awful Story - NOT for Young or Sensitive Viewers
I was horrified by this movie. My 5-year-old daughter and I watched this together hoping for a normal, uplifting, cute animal movie. The pointless, meandering, nonexistent storyline was the least offensive thing about it. Not much "FUN AND HILARITY" ensues in this disgusting downer. The 'movie' includes a psychopathic father who abuses and neglects his breeding dogs AND his son & wife (why doesn't the wife DO something?!), two idiotic dog catchers, some peripheral characters who show up in the last 10 minutes to 'save the day' (too little too late). Among the horrid scenes are a small puppy being throw across a room; a depressing backyard filled with 'breeder' dogs shoved in cramped, dirty cages; the implication that the psycho dad throws a bag with a runt puppy off a cliff into a river; a sick and dying female dog who has been overused for breeding; psycho dad verbally abusing his son; the implication that the wife is being hit; NO ONE doing or reporting any of the abuses (until the end - when the psycho is finally hauled off to jail). Truly one of the worst, most sickening movies I've ever seen. The issue of animal (and kid/wife) abuse is a topic of social importance that should be addressed, but NOT in a movie advertised as a rolicking, heartwarming kids' movie. This is NOT FOR KIDS. Not for anyone, really.
November 11, 2006
Stick to the Original Benji; This May Not Exactly Be a Family Film
If you're looking for family picture, something cheerful and joyful that would make you smile and laugh, you should see some other Benji films, but not this one. Sure, the dogs are cute. But I think probably most dogs on this planet are cute, and that alone does not make a good family picture. You may think `Benji: Off the Leash!' is a film about Benji. Yes, it is, but it also includes several things that almost made me stop watching it.
A kind boy named Colby (Nick Whitaker) secretly keeps an abandoned dog who tries to rescue his ailing mother ill-treated by her cruel owner. If you think this is a good story (and it is, I agree), wait a minute. The dog is abandoned by Colby's own abusive and malicious father who tosses away the puppy in the opening. The same cold-blooded daddy treats badly Benji's mother too in order to get more puppies! (Oh, I forgot to say he is a dog breeder, and he needs money!) And beating someone is also suggested....
OK, I admit this film is made with good intention. It makes a good point about our society, where animal abuse is often deeply related to another type of abuse. But I thought this is a film about dogs, or adventures of these lovely dogs running around, and the film's DVD cover strongly suggests that kind of content. Of course, these serious issues could be in films made for kids, but here's another problem.
That is, the film's terrible script that is confusing and often pointless. There is another dog abandoned by an unknown driver. The film could have explored the friendship between them, but before it does, it strays into several silly slapsticks by two Animal Control officers (with such old gags as falling in the mud). The rambling story goes nowhere, and the social issues like animal abuse is clumsily treated. The lazy pace of the film with this kind of unnecessary comedies by stupid characters not only kills everything that could have been much better lessons for kid, but also conceals the real merits of watching this film, that is, watching cute dogs.
In short, we don't need this entry while we have the original Benji, and many other films from Disney, Pixar, and other studios, which the kids probably would find funnier and more educational.
August 30, 2006
Benji Off the Leash- will he pull it off?!
This movie is a heartwarming "Benji" classic of a throw away puppy from a puppy mill that the dad doesn't want because it is a mix.It is sad at times,but there is plenty of hilarious parts where I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.All the actors were great and the movie had a solid center.I would not reccomend for small children to watch as the dad throws the puppy across the room at the first.But this is a very good movie as "Benji" nearly always is!
April 25, 2006
*Beloved Benji... A class act... Then, now, and always*
Benji & Joe Camp did it again!!! Joe has a way of melting Benji (and now newcomer Shaggy!) straight into our hearts... and makes sure to leave us wiser along the way. No one does animal movies like Joe Camp and Benji. Benji... I loved him then... I love him now... I will love him always.
February 22, 2006
Not for kids and not entertaining
Not for kids and not entertaining.
Very disappointing...
Abusive father...
January 8, 2006
Horrible and Not For Young Children
My mom bought this movie along with the original Benji for my older son for Christmas. I wish I'd known what this was about because she could have saved her money. Let me just describe the films opening scene---it shows a man throwing a puppy across a room. Does that sound like something appropriate for little kids? After seeing that I immediately turned it off. My son was of course upset and wanted to know why he would hurt that dog. There are plenty of other good kids movies out there. Don't waste your time on this dud.
February 12, 2005
ONE OF THE BEST FAMILY FILMS OF THE DECADE!!!
Joe Camp's original Benji film blazed a trail and provided inspiration for independent filmmakers across the world. In Benji: Off the Leash, Mr. Camp continues to break new ground by examining issues that will inevitably provoke meaningful conversation between parents and their children, a feat rarely accomplished in modern family entertainment. I was not surprised to learn that after all these years, Camp remains faithful to solid principles of fine storytelling. While viewing Off the Leash, I got a sense of Camp's deep love for independent film and his intuitive respect for the audience.
Many modern flicks for kids consist of spiritually empty images of mindless destruction, delivered at a brutally hyperactive pace, but Off the Leash is a notable exception. Parents who view this film with their children will be amazed to discover their kids, who were nursed on modern frenetic film fare, will not grow tired of the lingering camera shots contained throughout Off the Leash, as these scenes are designed to allow kids (and adult children) to use their imaginations and emotionally connect with the characters. Imagine that!
Joe Camp has always held his films to a higher standard, and Benji: Off the Leash is no exception. This film explores a somewhat darker theme than the original Benji films, as the child protagonist faces the enemy within his own family (as opposed to the evil forces operating outside the family in the first films). Off the Leash inspires children to think about values, and it doesn't proselytize or adopt a condescending attitude in order to do so.
Off the Leash is blessed by a wonderful soundtrack, including a rendition of the big-band standard "It Had to Be You". For reasons more nostalgic than critical, I missed hearing the soulful Charlie Rich soundtrack from the original Benji movies, but Joe Camp managed to work brief cuts from the original score into Off the Leash, complete with the often-parodied WAKKA-WAKKA guitar sound that defined the seventies.
Off the Leash has something for everyone. Film aficionados will appreciate the meticulous attention to detail in the lighting of the dogs' eyes, as well as Camp's juxtaposition of shots for maximum emotive effect. Writers and readers will notice fundamental principles of fine storytelling, and the way Camp manages to elicit strong, organic emotion without losing his grasp on realism. Fans of classic physical comedy will enjoy the fumbling dogcatcher sequences. Dog lovers will marvel at animal stunts that seem natural and effortless. Children and their parents will laugh and cry - but most importantly, they will talk.
Camp simply has too much respect for children to gloss over the often harsh realities of being a kid in the modern world. In addition to telling a captivating, amusing and suspenseful story, Off the Leash wrestles with tough issues like child abuse and domestic violence in a realistic but sensitive and insightful manner. The film will undoubtedly elicit feelings of courage, hope and self-worth in the hearts of abused and neglected children. The Benji films nurtured my spirit throughout many years of child abuse, and I would highly recommend Off the Leash to any adult survivor.
A word of caution: Amidst dozens upon dozens of glowing reviews, a few critics have leveled unfair and even malicious criticisms against Off the Leash, belying their misunderstanding of the important issues the film addresses. Parents who wish to subject their children to mind-numbing entertainment masquerading as family fare while pandering to the lowest common denominator should avoid Off the Leash, along with all the other Benji movies. On the other hand, parents who want their children to grow up armed with inner knowledge essential to protect themselves in a world that is often hostile and predatory will be glad they viewed this valuable and wholesome film with their kids.
Finally, a personal message to Mr. Camp... You owe me for a box of Kleenex, you tearjerker!
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