Calvin Wheeler is a scheming 13-year-old boy with everything going for him, except for an original issue of his precious comic book collection. When a prized show-dog chases him down while skateboarding one day, his owner inadvertently convinces him to adopt and train a dog of his own. However the only one available, is an uncouth stray Labrador/St. Bernard-mix named Tyko from a local animal shelter, who proves to be more than anybody can handle.
Reviews
I've loved this ever since the first time I saw it.That one character "Preston Price" is so stuck on himself in the movie. Carter Jenkins was great in the role.You know in some movies some dogs look and act like their owners? In the movie, Calvin and Tycho go great together. I like the scene where they run the obstacle course in the Royal Hound Invitationals; Calvin's riding the skateboard and doing all of the stunts and "Tycho the Terrible" (I love the nickname they gave him) is pulling him.I love the ending scene though where Calvin gives all of his Gotham Man comics to help the animal shelter and all of the dogs get good homes.
"Life is Ruff" was a really cute movie about essentially growing up. I actually went to the school where it was filmed and was able to see some of the set as I went around to my classes. One of my teachers got her flag signed by the kids in the film. I thought the weirdest part of the whole experience, was that the week the film premiered on Disney Channel, the school where it was filmed (Wasatch Jr. High) burned down due to an electrical fire started in the library. It was really cool because the last time I was able to see the inside of my school was in that movie. Calvin learned a lot from his experiences in the movie, about friendship and responsibility. He learned the same lessons we learned that summer when our school disappeared.
The two Disney Channel movies that are the absolute best are Tru Confessions and Life is Ruff. This has a great story about a selfish kid named Calvin (Kyle Massey) who collects Gotham Man comics and to receive the first ever comic of the Gotham Man comic series, he has to learn responsibility by teaching a big dog new tricks. This movie reminds me of Air Bud and Shiloh, except that those are dramas and this is a first-rate comedy that hits high on my account. If you miss this movie, you'll really be missing something you can watch and enjoy with friends, because they will all be talking about it afterward. The only dog movie that could ever top this one is My Dog Skip. 10/10*
This was a really good movie, and I'm glad I watched it. It has some good funny parts, and you can kind of tell what who Calvin's going to ask to the dance at the beginning. One of the best characters, I thought, was Emily Watson-Kay Panabaker. She really played that part quite well, showing compassion for the dog as well as the anger you would expect from someone who really cares about the animals she takes care of. I also liked Figg for good comic relief. Preston Price was definitely the mean kid you would expect, what with the way he dresses. You could tell at the basketball game that he was going to be trouble because of how big-headed he is.One last thing: At the beginning, it reminded me of Oliver and Company (with the little kitty). You'll have to watch to find out!
