Tagline: Sit. Stay. Play Dad.
Two best friends-one unlucky-in-love divorcee (Robin Williams) and the other a funloving bachelor (John Travolta)-have their lives turned upside down when they’re unexpectedly charged with the care of 7-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kid-savvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins (newcomers Ella Bleu Travolta and Conner Rayburn), leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what’s really important in life.
Old Dogs is a 2009 American ensemble comedy film directed by Wild Hogs’s Walt Becker and starring John Travolta and Robin Williams with an ensemble supporting cast played by Kelly Preston, Matt Dillon, Justin Long, Seth Green, Rita Wilson, Dax Shepard, Lori Loughlin, and Bernie Mac. It was released in theaters on November 25, 2009 and was released on DVD March 9, 2010.
The movie is dedicated to both Bernie Mac (who died in August 2008 and had his final acting role in the film) and Jett Travolta (John Travolta’s son who died in January 2009). The film grossed $96.7 million worldwide on a $35 million budget. In its first day, Old Dogs opened in fifth place, with a take of $3.1 million.[15][16] It was beat out in first-day box office results by New Moon, The Blind Side, 2012, and Ninja Assassin. The film came in fourth in its second day with $4.1 million, for a two-day pickup of $7.2 million. The film remained in fourth place for its third day, with a box office take of $6.8 million. Overall, the film grossed $96,753,696 worldwide on a budget of $35,000,000.
Canadian rocker Bryan Adams wrote the theme song for the film, “You’ve Been a Friend to Me”. At the 30th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, Old Dogs was nominated in four categories: Worst Picture, Worst Actor for John Travolta, Worst Supporting Actress for Kelly Preston and Worst Director for Walt Becker.
On Location in the Big Apple
Filmmakers Capitalize on NYC Locale
The filmmakers selected iconic Manhattan locations, including Central Park, Top of the Rock, Grand Central Station, Radio City Music Hall, Shea Stadium and Times Square.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to shoot in New York City, you take it,” producer Andrew Panay says. “It’s a challenge in terms of the crowds and traffic, but wow, what an energy it gives to the performances.”
Adds director Walt Becker: “There are horns honking and people screaming for John and Robin in the middle of takes. But it’s well worth the trouble.”
The director says they chose several unique locales for the production. “We shot the Bloomberg Building. We shot Top of the Rock, which has never been in a film before. I think we sold New York in a way that was special and unique.”
Becker credits production designer David Gropman with creating an exciting visual palate. “I told Gropman that I want to be able to watch this film without the sound and still be entertained, and he pulled it off. He did a fantastic job,” he says.
One of the more challenging shooting days occurred at Shea Stadium, where filming took place during an actual ballgame. “Shooting during a live Mets game was a good idea on paper,” says Becker. “This was probably as close to combat as I’ve ever come. We had 15 minutes to shoot the entire thing. It was kind of guerrilla, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants filming. There were fans throwing stuff, taking pictures. I think I aged more in that 15 minutes than I ever have doing a scene.
“We also did one of the bravest things ever tried in a production, which was to show our actors live on the Jumbotron,” Becker continues. “It was amazing, because you see Dan and Charlie up there and everybody’s on the screen waving. There were our two old dogs in the middle of 40,000 cheering people and the Jumbotron read `Happy Grandparents Day.’ Just priceless. The Mets organization was so supportive.”
After two weeks of filming in New York, the production moved to Connecticut. Several interior sets were constructed there, including Charlie’s New York bachelor pad where Dan brings the kids to stay. Production designer David Gropman designed a two-story childunfriendly apartment within a studio in Stanford. “We added the stairs, lots of glass, stainless steel and sharp edges,” he explains. “I also designed a large deck just outside the windows.
Executive producer Garrett Grant looked at my model and said, `Why don’t you put a swimming pool out there?’ So we put an infinity pool on the deck of a five-story New York apartment, which added the final touch to our kid-dangerous dwelling.”
Several breathtaking exterior locales were used, including the historical Putnam Memorial State Park in Redding, Conn., where Dan and Charlie take the children to the Pioneer Scout Jamboree. The park dates back to the 1800s, and Becker wanted to keep that authentic feel. “Walt wanted a real, classic camp look,” says Gropman. “So instead of using contemporary scout tents, we used beautiful canvas tents of all sizes. It was fun to do, because it was a beautiful location where we had this great Adirondack piece of architecture.”
The Big Apple on the Job
Comedy Superstars, Open-Minded Director Create Fun Set
Producer Andrew Panay says Travolta and Williams exhibited two completely different styles of improvisation. “John has such a controlled improv, it’s always coming from a real place. He’s always finding the joke within the joke. Robin is a machine gun. He keeps on firing the funnies. So you have two different approaches, both incredibly funny,” he says.
Director Walt Becker’s easygoing style was a good match for his creative cast. “I always feel like if you’re not letting your actors contribute, you’re not getting everything you can from them,” he says. “And, frankly, I don’t care if an actor wants to do a scene standing on his head, because that’s just the way I go. I get one take for the script, one for me, and the rest are for the actor.”
Becker’s method is one the actors truly appreciate. Says Travolta, “I never go outside the box of the character, because if I do, it’ll end up on the cutting-room floor. I make sure all my improvisations are character-motivated.”
Preston says she enjoyed the environment filmmakers provided. “Walt is pretty much accepting of anything. We definitely stay on the page, but he’d suggest I do something else or come up with ideas. For example, in one scene, I’m dropping the kids off with Dan, and I really wanted to make it seem more personal, so I used scenarios that happen in my own life.
“And of course, with Robin, he doesn’t need any encouragement,” Preston continues. “He just takes it to wherever, and Walt won’t cut for the longest time. That is such a blast.”
Rita Wilson says she, too, wanted to add another dimension to her character, who she describes as a bit eccentric. “I love the idea of being a hand model, because that’s a job you see all the time but take for granted,” says Wilson. “But I gave Jenna a facial characteristic which wasn`t originally written into the script, a lazy eye. I am so thankful that Walt is so open to new thoughts and ideas.”
The laid-back attitude amongst cast and crew brought about fun and levity on set, particularly between the two stars. “John is one of the funniest human beings on the planet, and he’s always riffing and joking,” says Preston. “So between John and Robin, who’s always on, it’s almost too much. They’ve got their on-camera schtick and their offcamera schtick. It’s hilarious either way you look at it.”
Daughter Ella says it became one of her biggest challenges. “It’s hard, because when Robin or my dad are being so funny in a scene, we can’t laugh. We want to laugh, but we can’t. It’s fun.”
Both Travolta and Williams were called on for physical comedy. “It’s been exciting to be this physical at this age-flying 65 feet in the air in a superhero suit that looks like Liberace’s stunt double on steroids,” says Williams. “If you want something funny, just run me into a wall.”
One of the most physical and enjoyable days on set was the Pioneer Scout Jamboree in the park. As part of his “Dad’s to-do list,” Zack, a Pioneer scout, asks Dan and Charlie to take him and Emily camping. They find themselves attempting to pitch tents, playing extreme Frisbee and shooting skeet. They must also contend with troop leader Barry, played by Matt Dillon, a serious scout who comes from four generations of Pioneers.
During the extreme Frisbee match, Becker admits that he let his actors go wild. “We did a little `The Right Stuff’ beat with John and Robin coming out in slow motion,” says Becker. “It was just fantastic seeing this game, which is supposed to be a non-contact sport, degrade into an all-out prison-rules game. We had a few casualties, too. Robin pulled a muscle, because he was going at it so hard-those guys did nearly all their own stunts. Robin and John were getting the crap beat out of them. The scene worked really well.”
Matt Dillon says he got a kick out of the skeet-shoot scenes. “The script had Barry just firing at the skeet in a typical way, but Walt added a layer by having Barry shoot cowboy-style from the hip. It’s probably what makes the scene so ridiculous,” he says.
Seth Green found his ultimate performance test while shooting an elaborate Japanese karaoke scene. His go-getter character immerses himself in the Japanese culture in preparation to run the business out of Japan. “On my second day of shooting, I did this glitzy karaoke scene in front of 150 extras. I got to sing and entertain them, which is not something I typically do. I owned that stage,” he laughs. “It’s very silly seeing me in this kimono with eyeliner and these sparkly shoes, screaming and jumping around to songs like `Mr. Roboto’ and `House of Pain.’”
The Real Old Dog
The film wouldn’t be complete without its four-legged co-star. Filmmakers tapped Sebastian, a 9-year-old dog, to portray Charlie’s aging hound Lucky. “Obviously, he’s not supposed to be doing too much, because he’s basically got one foot in the grave,” says trainer Dawn Barkin. “He does a lot of hanging out on the bed with John. His big, funny sight gag is that he gets to raise his leg and pee on a plant.”
Barkin, who works for a company called Paws for Affect, has been training Sebastian for several years. She says getting the seasoned canine to do the leg-lift was surprisingly easy. “He picked it up in a day and a half, which is extremely quick, and he loves to do it. He walks up to objects and just lifts his leg up like it’s the funniest thing in the world. It’s a behavior he enjoys doing,” she says.
The filmmakers agree that the whole process was an enjoyable one-one they think will come through on the big screen. “I think the audience can expect to have a really fun time,” says Becker. “And that’s whether you’re a 90-year-old grandma or a 9-year-old boy or a 20- year-old college student.”
“I want to make movies that make people happy and make people laugh,” says Panay. “I believe we’ve done that with `Old Dogs.’”
Old Dogs (2009)
Directed by: Walt Becker
Starring by: Robin Williams, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Bernie Mac, Matt Dillon, Seth Green, Lori Loughlin, Rita Wilson, Ella Bleu Travolta, Amy Sedaris, Ann-Margret, Kevin Yamada
Screenplay by: David Diamond, David Weissman
Production Design by: David Gropman
Cinematography by: Jeffrey L. Kimball
Film Editing by: Ryan Folsey, Tom Lewis
Costume Design by: Joseph G. Aulisi
Set Decoration by: Ellen Christiansen, Romano C. Pugliese
Art Direction by: Brian O’Hara, Peter Rogness
Music by: John Debney
Set Decoration by: Ellen Christiansen, Romano C. Pugliese
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild rude humor.
Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: November 25, 2009
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