KTKA

There are certain big screen movie pairings that just scream out to me, “this is going to be painful!” Such a team-up is currently infesting movie theaters across the country with John Travolta and Robin Williams starring in the new “so-called” comedy “Old Dogs.”

Since his comeback in “Pulp Fiction,” Travolta has had a few good films, but has mostly starred in forgettable, unwatchable drivel where the paycheck was much more appealing than the script. That’s too bad because I have always been a John Travolta fan and thought his talent deserved better material.

As for Robin Williams, I don’t think he has ever made a good comedic film. I have sat through one after another over the years and they have been unbearable at times. Such movies as “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “Toys” are prime examples.

“Old Dogs” deals with Charlie and Dan (Travolta and Williams), two highly successful businessmen who are also lifelong friends. Charlie is the ultimate playboy who never will settle down, and Dan is unlucky at love, twice divorced with no prospects for love in the future.

Just as the two are about to close on the biggest business deal of their careers , Dan gets a message from Vicki, his second wife whom he married during a drunken stupor, after knowing her for mere hours. The marriage was annulled, but Dan never stopped thinking of Vicki as the one who got away. Vicki wants to meet him and announces that she has to go to jail for a few weeks, and that their short marriage did result in Dan being the father of her seven year old twins. With that in mind let the zany comedy begin!

“Old Dogs” is listless, unfunny garbage that contains as many comedy clichés as humanly possible with no regard for the sanity of their audience, as they are dragged through muck with one bad toilet humor filled romp after another, including an old dog with urination problems, no that’s comedy!

The only moments where I remotely laughed involved actor Seth Green, who is completely wasted here and those somewhat funny scenes don’t take place until the last twenty minutes of the movie.

Travolta sleepwalks through the film as a character who is a carbon copy of the one he played in “Wild Hogs.” Williams, who starred this year in “World’s Greatest Dad,” one of the real surprise dramatic gems of 2009, is boring and uninspired here and seems to be there to just pick up another big paycheck.

Here is a piece of advice for the makers of “Old Dogs”: If you are going to make a comedy, how about putting some laughs in? It makes it so much more rewarding for the paying audience that is going to endure your film, because “Old Dogs” is full of fleas!