Movie Reviews for Oh! Heavenly Dog

Oh! Heavenly Dog

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Movie Reviews of Oh! Heavenly Dog

Movie Review: Left field ain't a bad place to be
Summary: 4 Stars

For the third Benji feature film, director Joe Camp decided to head far out into left field. After two films told from a dog's perspective and that consisted mostly of Benji running, it was a good move to do something drastically different, and it produced a film that matches the first one in quality.

The first unusual thing that Camp did was to hire three stars who were big box office attractions in 1980--Chevy Chase, Jane Seymour and Omar Sharif. The previous two films featured unknowns.

Next, he made Oh Heavenly Dog essentially a human story. The film really hinges on Chase's character, Benjamin Browning, who becomes a pawn in a relatively complex plot of deceit. Camp displayed an affection for conspiracy-like action/thriller subplots in the two previous films, but here that becomes the primary focus, and because of this, the script is better written and paced.

The criminal aspects of the first two films had something of an odd fit within films that were essentially geared towards young children (as did the plethora of untranslated Greek in the second film), but in Oh Heavenly Dog, Camp aims for a combination of an older, tween and teen crowd as well as adults. This is made quickly apparent in another unusual feature--a strong sense of humor, Chevy Chase-style. There are implicit gay jokes and lots of sexual innuendo jokes here. There is also very natural sounding, light profanity. And less humorously, but also more adult, there is a bit more violence.

Even more left field for a Benji movie in 1980, Oh Heavenly Dog quickly heads for the fantasy genre, and through this, Benji becomes and remains something of a fantasy character. It's a move that's completely unexpected, plotwise, but it works remarkably well. Camp's purely fantasy settings and characters are very entertaining and even a bit charming.

Because of the plot and Chase, and maybe somewhat as an intentional move directorially, most of Oh Heavenly Dog plays like a typical Chase detective film, like Foul Play (1978), or like the Fletch films (1985 & 1989) that came later. I hadn't paid much attention to Chase for awhile--I was one of the people a bit turned off by his off-screen behavior, as evidenced in his interactions with the Howard Stern Show, for example--but Oh Heavenly Dog has reawakened my interest in him, because he's excellent here. It's reminded me of how great he was in so many other films, even including later ones like Man of the House (1995).

On a final note, what a coup Camp managed in getting the music he did for Oh Heavenly Dog. Paul McCartney's "Arrow Through Me", one of my favorite solo songs of his, fits the film perfectly. Euel Box even gives us orchestral variations on it throughout the film. Camp also managed to get a couple Elton John songs, and used Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition for an art gallery scene. The music helps support an already fantastic film.

Movie Review: A pretty good detective story
Summary: 4 Stars

Browning (Chevy Chase) is a privet investigator. Even thought he is not in the protection business a mysterious man pays him more than enough money, similar to "The Maltese Falcon" (1941) to make it worth his while, to protect a young lady.

He finds the lady already dead and while leaning over her is dispatched him self. You would think it could end her however as with all things unsettled Browning is assigned to return and solve his murder. One hitch is he must go back as a dog (Benji.)

My favorite quote was:
Browning: Why can't I go back into my own body?
Higgins: Because it has a hole in it.

Jane Semour (Jackie) a writer interested in the case is surprised to see Benji or B.J. show up everywhere she goes but later nothing surprises her. Omar Sharif (Bart) is also surprised to see Benji show up everywhere, he is beginning to suspect B.J. of being the devil. Soon he is sure of it.
Surprise!!!

According to the cover:
Plans to shoot part of the film in London had to be canceled when the producers learned that all animals brought into England must be quarantined for six months. Instead, the company moved to the streets of downtown Montreal, which were made over to resemble London.

This story is very similar to what happened in the movie "Heaven Can Wait" (1978), in which he has to return to a temporary body.

Heaven Can Wait

Movie Review: Life is unexpected
Summary: 4 Stars

I first saw this film in 1994 on Sky movies. It's a lovely film, which tells of Chevy Chase as a private investigator who gets killed accidentally one day on an investigation and for some reason returns as a dog called 'Benji'. Later he meets Jane Seymour and tries to be her pet dog, but she can tell there's something more than what she sees. Later she dies solving his case and finding his murderer, but she too gets turn into a lovely cat to be Benji's life time partner. I recommend you buy this film.

Movie Review: Great movie
Summary: 4 Stars

I was remembering this movie a couple of months ago and how much I liked it when it came out so I ordered it. Buyers should beware that even though Benji is one of the main stars, this movie has a little bit of bad language in it, so you might not want children under 11 or 12 to see it. The words are not too terrible, but not suitable for small ears either. Otherwise, it's a great movie!