Moviegoers and more than a few critics found much to enjoy in this Disney film about a lost dog named Buddy. The canine is befriended by a lonely boy and proceeds to become the star of the kid's junior high school basketball team. Demonstrating an abundance of on- and off-court agility, Buddy can dribble like a pro (no, not the wet kind of dribble), and he never misses a shot. Michael Jeter plays Buddy's original owner who returns to get his dog back (don't worry, he's an unworthy weasel), and director Charles Martin Smith brings a refreshing flair to the climactic basketball scenes. Air Bud was a modest hit for Disney, and the film's entertaining vitality gets a touch of poignancy from the fact that Lucky, the canine actor in the title role, died of cancer not long after the film was released. --Jeff Shannon
| CleanFlicks Parental Advice |
| General |
- Contains some adult themes (Jackie (the mother) moves her family to deal with the death of here husband. The boy is depressed because of his fathers death.)
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| Language |
- H-word (3)
- some imitative phrases ("Geez," "Sucks," "Shut up," and "Idiot.")
- non-religious references to Deity (1"God", 1"Oh my God")
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| Violence |
- some sports violence (Boys play basketball, some get knocked down, and one accidentaly gets hit in the groin with a ball.)
- some slapstick violence (The clown does some slipping, sliding, etc.)
- some non-graphic violence (A basketball coach throws basketballs at a boy for losing the game. (He is fired for it))
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| Drugs/Alcohol |
- Drinking (Snively has a stack of beer cans in his window and talks to an agent about Buddy doing a beer commercial.)
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| Sex/Non-Graphic Nudity |
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