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Tell Others About This Page By Using This Button "LASSIE" (2006) (Peter O'Toole, Jonathan Mason) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Mild Minor Heavy *Moderate Mild Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Minor None Mild None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Minor Minor Moderate Moderate Moderate QUICK TAKE: Drama: After being sold by her poor family, a devoted collie encounters interesting and dangerous characters as she tries to make her way across hundreds of miles back to her boy owner. PLOT: It's 1938 and England is on the verge of war. Accordingly, the elderly but rich and playful Duke of Rudling (PETER O'TOOLE) is now watching over his granddaughter Cilla (HESTER ODGERS) in the English countryside while the girl's mother, Daisy (JEMMA REDGRAVE) stays in London and worries about her husband who's now in military training. During a foxhunt, Cilla spots a beautiful collie that she likes, so the Duke offers to buy it from the working middle class Carraclough family. Since Lassie belongs to young Joe (JONATHAN MASON), his parents -- Sarah (SAMANTHA MORTON) and Sam (JOHN LYNCH) -- decline the offer. That is, until the mine where Sam works is shuttered, meaning the family needs the money. Without Joe's knowledge, the transaction is made and the Duke's kennel handler, Eddie Hynes (STEVE PEMBERTON), takes the dog back to the regal estate. Yet, Lassie repeatedly frees herself and returns home, causing Hynes to accuse them of stealing the dog. With Lassie returned once again, the matter seems resolved when the Duke takes her and Cilla to his estate in Northern Scotland. But the resourceful dog manages to escape yet again, embarking on an arduous, long and at times dangerous journey back home. While encountering a variety of characters along the way -- including traveling puppet entertainer Rowlie (PETER DINKLAGE) -- Lassie is determined to make her way back to Joe at any cost. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? The period setting might not be enticing, but the boy and his dog bit will likely draw some. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some mild violent content and language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: PETER O'TOOLE plays the elderly, but wealthy and playful Duke who wants to make his granddaughter in his care happy, and will do anything to cause that to happen. He's something of an elitist (but not a snob) and uses some profanity. JONATHAN MASON plays the young boy whose poor upbringing is only brightened by his love for Lassie, but that's dashed when his parents sell her to the Duke in exchange for desperately needed money. He must then contend with repeatedly having Lassie come back to him, only to have to return her to the Duke. SAMANTHA MORTON plays his caring mother who's torn by them having to sell the boy's dog. JOHN LYNCH plays her husband, who feels the same way after he loses his job at the local mine. PETER DINKLAGE plays a traveling puppeteer showman who shows kindness to Lassie while using her in a show to entertain children. STEVE PEMBERTON plays the Duke's mean and condescending kennel handler who becomes increasingly irritated with Lassie repeatedly escaping (and accuses Joe's family of stealing the dog back). He even goes as far as to beat the dog. HESTER ODGERS plays the Duke's precocious granddaughter who realizes Lassie isn't happy and belongs with her original family. JEMMA REDGRAVE plays Cilla's mother who worries about her being away from home. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated drama. Profanity consists of a handful of minor expletives, while some colorful phrases are also present. Some men fight with a small person and end up killing his dog (we hear, but don't see the blow), while another man belts another dog (we hear but don't see the blows). A rock and bullet are separately sent toward a dog, and those scenes and moments that don't look good for the title character might be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or animals lovers. Various characters have bad attitudes, some men drink, and a comment is made about smoking, while a man's urine stream is seen as he tries to mask the scent trail of a fox from hunting dogs. A woman scrubs her husband's bare back in a metal washtub (nothing sexual occurs and nothing else is seen), a boy is upset that his poor parents sold the family dog for money, while kids and their mothers miss the fathers/husbands in their lives. They're off to train for WWII, and that makes up one part of some thematic material that's present. If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE The Duke has what looks like beer. The Duke has wine with a meal. Hynes may be intoxicated on a train as he comes out of a car and throws what appears to be a cigar or cigarette out the window. A vet tending to a sick Lassie tells Sarah to give the dog some warm milk and brandy. Sarah says they don't have any of the latter, but a neighbor says they do. Some men come out of a pub holding pints of beer. BLOOD/GORE We see a man's urine stream in a coalmine as he and others do that to throw off the scent of hunting dogs following a fox that's made its way into their mine. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE We see hunting dogs chasing a fox in the countryside that then leads into the town and finally into a coalmine (some kids might find that suspenseful, and other viewers might find it as a bad attitude). Hynes has a condescending attitude toward the lower-class inhabitants of the town, repeatedly mistreats Lassie (including beating her), and accuses the Carracloughs of repeatedly stealing the dog (or having trained it to escape) so that they can sell her again to others. Joe's teacher repeatedly smacks his hands with a ruler (quite hard) for being asleep in class. Hynes tells an unhappy looking Lassie that he'll make her eat "if I have to push the bloody food down your throat." We see that Cilla has now run away from her new boarding school (but the officials find her on a road). Two men try to rob Rowlie, beat him up and kill his dog. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed here may be unsettling or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material., but not really to anyone else. Some kids may worry about Lassie for much of the film, whether it's facing Hynes and his mean behavior (including constantly retrieving the dog) or being out on her own, trying to walk back home (while facing various perils and obstacles). We see hunting dogs chasing a fox in the countryside that then leads into the town and finally into a coalmine (some kids might find that suspenseful, and other viewers might find it as a bad attitude). Sarah and other wives are called to the mine entrance where they see police ready with their billy clubs, but it's just because the mine has been closed and the workers are being accompanied off the grounds. When Joe leaves school at the end of the day, he's worried when Lassie isn't there as normal. He races home to meet his grim-faced parents (they've just sold Lassie to The Duke for the money they need since Joe's just lost his job). Hynes tells an unhappy looking Lassie that he'll make her eat "if I have to push the bloody food down your throat." After returning Lassie to Hynes, Joe is forced to tell his dog, "You're a bad dog and we don't love you no more" (he then buries his face in his father's chest). Hynes removes his belt and then proceeds to whip Lassie with it (we see the motion, but not the impact, although we hear Lassie's pained sounds). The Duke fires him over that. After Lassie escapes, The Duke says if they don't find her soon, she'll die (by starvation or perhaps falling off a cliff). A truck nearly hits Lassie (running over her as she ducks between the tires on either side). The upset owner then gets out and throws a rock at Lassie (but misses). We see some scientists in a boat searching for the Loch Ness Monster (instead, they spot Lassie on the shore). However, their boat then rocks back and forth in the still lake and we then see the shape of the large beast as it skims below the surface (played more for whimsy than suspense, and the creature is never named). Two dogcatchers (one with a net, the other with a neck snare) slowly approach Lassie, with the net being thrown over the pooch and one man then holding Lassie to the sidewalk. A nice woman reprimands them for their approach, has them remove the net, and then carries Lassie into their truck. Back at the pound, we see one moving the dog with that snare around her neck, while back on the street that woman and a man worry that the pound will put her down (but when they get there, she's already escaped). Lassie ends up trapped on an open window ledge, but manages to make her way down the building and then onto the top of a passing truck. Two men approach Rowlie's camp, spot him as a small person, and then think he's a dwarf who digs for gold. They then walk up, acting benignly at first, but then let their intentions be known. Rowlie then hits both with a stick when they come at him, with one hitting Lassie, causing her to run off. Rowlie then kicks one man and causes a fake wall to land on the other (both are okay), his small dog bites one man on the leg, and he hits the other again with a stick. But the man then grabs that stick, Rowlie falls to the ground and when Rowlie's dog bites the man's leg, he strikes it with the stick (we don't see the impact, but hear the dog's reaction). Lassie hears this, runs back, and attacks one man, while Rowlie chases off the other with a stick. We then see that Rowlie's dog is mortally wounded (limp, but no blood), and then later see Rowlie and Lassie at the dog's gravesite. Lassie eventually makes her way back to her hometown, but is exhausted. Seeing that Joe and his family aren't home, she then lies down in the snow and looks like she's had it. But Lassie's little dog friend sees her, races off to find Joe, and then has him and his family return to save Lassie. The vet who then sees her says she's weak and might die, but she's later okay. Hynes returns and wants to take the ailing Lassie back, but Sam won't let him (despite the police being there -- who then let Sam and his family take the dog to The Duke). GUNS/WEAPONS A man with a rifle chases Lassie away from his farm, first firing a warning shot in the air and then one at her, but he misses. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "(You daft/little) Bugger" (noun), "Bloody" (adjective), "You lazy swine," "What the bloody hell was that?" "You impertinent little scallywag," "A blithering idiot," "Scum," "You idiot," "Where the bloody hell is she?" "You stupid Scottish clod," "You (stupid) idiot," "Are you mad?" "You filthy mongrel," "Don't stand there gawking like a half-wit," "Bloody brilliant," "What the hell is that?" "A bloody midget" and "Oh shut up." JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A tiny bit of suspenseful and some dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 3 uses of bugger, 3 hells, 2 damns and 1 use of "Good Lord." SEX/NUDITY We see Sarah bathing Sam's dirty back as he sits in a metal washtub, but there's no nudity and there's nothing sexual or sensual about the scene (she's just washing the mine crud off him). SMOKING Hynes may be intoxicated on a train as he comes out of a car and throws what appears to be a cigar or cigarette out the window. When Sam looks for something in his vest, Joe asks if he's lost his tobacco. Sam says no, that he forgot he gave it up, and comments on Sarah saying he was smoking too much. TENSE FAMILY SCENES There are repeated references to the beginnings of WWII, with Cilla's father already off for training and then Sam later leaving for the same (but we never see any war footage). We also learn that Cilla has been sent off to the countryside from London in order to be safe. Joe hears his parents arguing (muffled through the wall) about their financial situation. When Joe leaves school at the end of the day, he's worried when Lassie isn't there as normal. He races home to meet his grim-faced parents (they've just sold Lassie to The Duke for the money they need since Joe's just lost his job). Joe is upset in bed and won't look at or respond to his mother when she tries to convince him that Lassie is better off with The Duke. Sam leaves to train for the war, telling Joe he must take care of his mom. When Lassie is brought up in conversation, Sarah storms out, angrily stating that if she hears that dog's name again, "I'll walk out and leave the pair of you" (her husband and son). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Pets' ability to find their way back home over long distances. Bond between pets and their owners. There are repeated references to the beginnings of WWII, with Cilla's father already off for training and then Sam later leaving for the same (but we never see any war footage). We also learn that Cilla has been sent off to the countryside from London in order to be safe. Working in mines. Being so poor that one has to sell the family pet to get money. Sarah telling Joe that sometimes you just have to let things go. The Loch Ness Monster (a brief scene features Nessie). We see that Cilla has now run away from her new boarding school (but the officials find her on a road). VIOLENCE Joe's teacher repeatedly smacks his hands with a ruler (quite hard) for being asleep in class. Hynes pushes a man out of the way, as he (Hynes) tries to chase after Lassie. Hynes removes his belt and then proceeds to whip Lassie with it (we see the motion, but not the impact, although we hear Lassie's pained sounds). The Duke fires him over that. Hynes falls while chasing Lassie (but is okay). A truck nearly hits Lassie (running over her as she ducks between the tires on either side). The upset owner then gets out and throws a rock at Lassie (but misses). A man with a rifle chases Lassie away from his farm, first firing a warning shot in the air and then one at her, but he misses. Two dogcatchers (one with a net, the other with a neck snare) slowly approach Lassie, with the net being thrown over the pooch and one man then holding Lassie to the sidewalk. Two men approach Rowlie's camp, spot him as a small person, and then think he's a dwarf who digs for gold. They then walk up, acting benignly at first, but then let their intentions be known. Rowlie then hits both with a stick when they come at him, with one hitting Lassie, causing her to run off. Rowlie then kicks one man and causes a fake wall to land on the other (both are okay), his small dog bites one man on the leg, and he hits the other again with a stick. But the man then grabs that stick, Rowlie falls to the ground and when Rowlie's dog bites the man's leg, he strikes it with the stick (we don't see the impact, but hear the dog's reaction). Lassie hears this, runs back, and attacks one man, while Rowlie chases off the other with a stick. We then see that Rowlie's dog is mortally wounded (limp, but no blood), and then later see Rowlie and Lassie at the dog's gravesite. Reviewed September 4, 2006 / Posted September 8, 2006

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