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My Dog Skip (film)
Encyclopedia
My Dog Skip is a 2000 film
, directed
by Jay Russell
. It is based on the autobiographical book My Dog Skip
by Willie Morris
. The movie was released January 14, 2000.
The movie recounts a few anecdotes about 9-year-old Willie growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi
. The son of a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
and a housewife, Willie is the daily victim of three school bullies. Then one day a dog (bought by his mother over his dad's objections) comes into his life, and everything changes. The dog is Willie's entry into a world of new friendships.
named Skip (Enzo). In the beginning, Willie (Frankie Muniz
) is a lonely child with a gruff, proud father (Kevin Bacon
) and a charismatic, talkative mother (Diane Lane
), but he is an only child and small for his age with few friends. His one companion is a young man who lives next door, Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson
), who is the local sports hero in Mississippi. However, when Dink is drafted to go to war, Willie's mother decides to buy him a dog, against his father's wishes, in order that he should have some company.
Willie and Skip become firm friends very quickly. However, Willie is still bullied at school by Big Boy Wilkinson, Henjie Henick and Spit McGee, until Dink sends him a German helmet and belt from the front line. The other boys demand he plays ball in order to win back his belongings. Skip leaps in to help him. That same day, the three boys force Willie to spend the night in a graveyard, where they claim a witch is buried. If he stays there, he gets to join their gang and also keep the ball Dink Jenkins signed for them, and if not, he has to give them his German helmet. Willie stays there for a number of hours, until he hears two moonshiners who are loading crates into a crypt and decides to leave. Skip, however, jumps on the moonshiners until one of them threatens to hit him with a spade. Willie is forced to spend the night at the graveyard, because they tell him not to move and so is accepted into the group.
The narrator then goes on to explain various changes in his life. Skip, having always been a friendly dog, is known by everyone in the town, including African Americans, significant because Mississippi was still segregated at the time. Skip leads Willie through the best parts of his life; his boyhood days. Thanks to Skip, Willie now has three friends, and a girlfriend, Rivers.
Skip is there for him when Dink gets home, shell-shocked and a drunkard since discharged from the army. However, when Willie’s first ball game comes along, Skip and Willie have their first falling out.
Dink promised to come along but does not bother. Since the war he has found competitions don't matter to him anymore, and Willie is so upset by this that his game is ruined. Skip, wanting to cheer him up, runs onto the field and sits wagging his tail, refusing to leave. Becoming frustrated, Willie hits him across the muzzle and he runs away.
After the game, Willie is unable to find his dog. Unbeknownst to him, Skip had returned to the crypt, and been accidentally shut in the grave where moonshine alcohol was being stored. Dink, however, after explaining that he had been scarred by having to kill in the war, tells Willie nothing is ever lost for good and goes out to help him find Skip. When they get there, Junior is about to strike Skip with a spade and as Willie runs to save him, there is a thump and a whimper. Dink manages to eject the moonshiners, telling Junior that he'd better hope that Skip lives, but it is uncertain as to whether Skip 'will' survive.
As the family and friends gather in solemnity in the vet's waiting room, Willie weeps over his dog’s vet bed, telling him everything he ever should have done; that he will never have a friend like him again. Skip awakens, licking his hands and face.
The film concludes with Willie explaining his friendship with Skip, that he had been an only child and Skip an only dog. When Willie leaves to go to Oxford University in the United Kingdom
, Skip remains with Willie's parents, sleeping in Willie's old room, and finally dies, being buried under the elm tree. The closing line adds, "That wasn't totally true. For he really laid buried in my heart".
It also was Warner Bros. first majorly successful family film since Space Jam
in 1996.
The film came in at number 4 of Variety's "dollar for dollar" most profitable films of the year 2000. The movie remained in Variety's Top Ten video sales charts for five months after its video release.
My Dog Skip won the Broadcast Film Critics Award for "Best Family Film" for the year 2000, Silver Medal Giffoni Film Festival Award, Best Cast Young Star Awards, Silver Angel Award winner, ArkTrust Genises Award and the Christopher Award for Best Family Film. It was filmed in the city of Canton, Mississippi; the local visitor's center offers tours showing memorabilia used in the film.
A few blocks away from this museum is the house used in the film (private), with a sign
in front saying "Skip's House".
The author of the book, Willie Morris, suffered from a heart attack right after the film was completed in 1999. Morris saw a preliminary screening of the film in New York and praised it as "an absolute classic." Morris died a couple of days later and never saw the final version. The film is dedicated to his memory.
2000 in film
The year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
, directed
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
by Jay Russell
Jay Russell
Jay Russell , is a film director and also executive producer and director of the film My Dog Skip.His other directing credits include Tuck Everlasting, Ladder 49 and The Water Horse...
. It is based on the autobiographical book My Dog Skip
My Dog Skip
My Dog Skip is a memoir by Willie Morris published by Random House in 1995."My Dog Skip" is the story about nine-year-old Willie Morris growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi, a tale of a boy and his dog in a small, sleepy Southern town that teaches us about family, friendship, love, devotion and...
by Willie Morris
Willie Morris
William Weaks "Willie" Morris , was an American writer and editor born in Jackson, Mississippi, though his family later moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, which he immortalized in his works of prose. Morris' trademark was his lyrical prose style and reflections on the American South, particularly...
. The movie was released January 14, 2000.
The movie recounts a few anecdotes about 9-year-old Willie growing up in Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City is a city in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. It is the county seat of Yazoo County and the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the...
. The son of a veteran of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
and a housewife, Willie is the daily victim of three school bullies. Then one day a dog (bought by his mother over his dad's objections) comes into his life, and everything changes. The dog is Willie's entry into a world of new friendships.
Plot
Willie Morris as an adult is looking back on his childhood in the early 1940s and how it was colored by his dog, a Jack Russell TerrierJack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...
named Skip (Enzo). In the beginning, Willie (Frankie Muniz
Frankie Muniz
Francisco "Frankie" Muniz IV is an American actor, musician, writer, producer, and racecar driver. He is known primarily as the star of the FOX television family sitcom Malcolm in the Middle. In 2003, he was considered "one of Hollywood's most bankable teens". In 2008, he put his acting career...
) is a lonely child with a gruff, proud father (Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
) and a charismatic, talkative mother (Diane Lane
Diane Lane
Diane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
), but he is an only child and small for his age with few friends. His one companion is a young man who lives next door, Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson
Luke Wilson
Luke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
), who is the local sports hero in Mississippi. However, when Dink is drafted to go to war, Willie's mother decides to buy him a dog, against his father's wishes, in order that he should have some company.
Willie and Skip become firm friends very quickly. However, Willie is still bullied at school by Big Boy Wilkinson, Henjie Henick and Spit McGee, until Dink sends him a German helmet and belt from the front line. The other boys demand he plays ball in order to win back his belongings. Skip leaps in to help him. That same day, the three boys force Willie to spend the night in a graveyard, where they claim a witch is buried. If he stays there, he gets to join their gang and also keep the ball Dink Jenkins signed for them, and if not, he has to give them his German helmet. Willie stays there for a number of hours, until he hears two moonshiners who are loading crates into a crypt and decides to leave. Skip, however, jumps on the moonshiners until one of them threatens to hit him with a spade. Willie is forced to spend the night at the graveyard, because they tell him not to move and so is accepted into the group.
The narrator then goes on to explain various changes in his life. Skip, having always been a friendly dog, is known by everyone in the town, including African Americans, significant because Mississippi was still segregated at the time. Skip leads Willie through the best parts of his life; his boyhood days. Thanks to Skip, Willie now has three friends, and a girlfriend, Rivers.
Skip is there for him when Dink gets home, shell-shocked and a drunkard since discharged from the army. However, when Willie’s first ball game comes along, Skip and Willie have their first falling out.
Dink promised to come along but does not bother. Since the war he has found competitions don't matter to him anymore, and Willie is so upset by this that his game is ruined. Skip, wanting to cheer him up, runs onto the field and sits wagging his tail, refusing to leave. Becoming frustrated, Willie hits him across the muzzle and he runs away.
After the game, Willie is unable to find his dog. Unbeknownst to him, Skip had returned to the crypt, and been accidentally shut in the grave where moonshine alcohol was being stored. Dink, however, after explaining that he had been scarred by having to kill in the war, tells Willie nothing is ever lost for good and goes out to help him find Skip. When they get there, Junior is about to strike Skip with a spade and as Willie runs to save him, there is a thump and a whimper. Dink manages to eject the moonshiners, telling Junior that he'd better hope that Skip lives, but it is uncertain as to whether Skip 'will' survive.
As the family and friends gather in solemnity in the vet's waiting room, Willie weeps over his dog’s vet bed, telling him everything he ever should have done; that he will never have a friend like him again. Skip awakens, licking his hands and face.
The film concludes with Willie explaining his friendship with Skip, that he had been an only child and Skip an only dog. When Willie leaves to go to Oxford University in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Skip remains with Willie's parents, sleeping in Willie's old room, and finally dies, being buried under the elm tree. The closing line adds, "That wasn't totally true. For he really laid buried in my heart".
Cast
- Frankie Muniz as Willie Morris
- Diane LaneDiane LaneDiane Lane is an American film actress.Born and raised in New York City, Lane made her screen debut at the age of 13 in George Roy Hill's 1979 film A Little Romance, starring opposite Sir Laurence Olivier. Soon after, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine...
as Ellen Morris - Luke WilsonLuke WilsonLuke Cunningham Wilson is an American film actor known for his roles in Old School, Bottle Rocket, The Royal Tenenbaums, Legally Blonde, Idiocracy and Death at a Funeral.-Early life:...
as Dink Jenkins - Kevin BaconKevin BaconKevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
as Jack Morris - Bradley Coryell as Big Boy Wilkinson
- Daylan Honeycutt as Henjie Henick
- Cody LinleyCody LinleyCody Martin Linley is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his recurring role as Jake Ryan in the television series Hannah Montana and for being a contestant on the seventh season of Dancing With The Stars, in which he was partnered with Julianne Hough.-Career:Linley made his acting...
as Spit McGee - Caitlin WachsCaitlin WachsCaitlin Elizabeth Wachs is an American actress who has acted in several films and TV series. She appeared alongside Ally Walker and Robert Davi in Profiler, and played the president's daughter, Rebecca Calloway, on the series Commander in Chief....
as Rivers Applewhite - Harry Connick, Jr.Harry Connick, Jr.Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
as the Narrator - Peter CrombiePeter Crombie-Life and career:He appeared in such films as Born on the Fourth of July, Natural Born Killers, Se7en, My Dog Skip and The Doors. His best-known television role was as the recurring minor character "Crazy" Joe Davola on Seinfeld...
as Junior Smalls - Clint HowardClint HowardClinton "Clint" Howard is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor with numerous brief appearances on television and films. He has played many bit parts in movies directed by his brother, actor-turned-director Ron Howard. He is also the uncle of actress Bryce Dallas Howard...
as Millard - Mark BeechMark BeechMark Beech is an unemployed career politician nominally affiliated with the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, he has also represented the Labour party and as an independent campaigner.-University Politics:...
as Army Buddy - Susan Carol Davis as Mrs. Jenkins
- David Pickens as Mr. Jenkins
- Lucile Doan Ewing as Aunt Maggie
- Nathaniel Lee, Jr. as Sammy
- James Thweat as Older Big Boy
- Enzo as young Skip
- MooseMoose (dog actor)Moose was a veteran canine actor. He was a Jack Russell Terrier and is most famous for his portrayal of Eddie Crane on the television sitcom Frasier.-Early life:...
as old Skip - Sweetie as puppy Skip
Reception
The film opened at #3, grossing $7 million. It ended up grossing $35,512,760 worldwide, making it a major box office success recouping its $7 million budget.It also was Warner Bros. first majorly successful family film since Space Jam
Space Jam
Aside from Jordan, a number of NBA players and coaches appeared in the film. Larry Bird portrays a friend of Jordan who joins him for a game of golf. When the Monstars steal the NBA players' talent, they invade a game between the Phoenix Suns and the New York Knicks, causing the Knicks' Patrick...
in 1996.
The film came in at number 4 of Variety's "dollar for dollar" most profitable films of the year 2000. The movie remained in Variety's Top Ten video sales charts for five months after its video release.
My Dog Skip won the Broadcast Film Critics Award for "Best Family Film" for the year 2000, Silver Medal Giffoni Film Festival Award, Best Cast Young Star Awards, Silver Angel Award winner, ArkTrust Genises Award and the Christopher Award for Best Family Film. It was filmed in the city of Canton, Mississippi; the local visitor's center offers tours showing memorabilia used in the film.
A few blocks away from this museum is the house used in the film (private), with a sign
in front saying "Skip's House".
The author of the book, Willie Morris, suffered from a heart attack right after the film was completed in 1999. Morris saw a preliminary screening of the film in New York and praised it as "an absolute classic." Morris died a couple of days later and never saw the final version. The film is dedicated to his memory.
External links
- Official website
- Plot synopsis and gallery from Random House web site