Perhaps the worst effect of "Bingo" is that stupid song. You know the one: "B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his name-oh."
It's sung, whistled and hummed throughout the film by various characters, and then it's stuck in your head for days.
"Bingo" is yet another example of a children's film with profanity, vulgarity and such big laugh-getters as a sarcastic one-liner about flatulence, a dog burping (not once, but twice) and a barefoot man slipping on dog dung.
The filmmakers here would have been wise to take a look at the recent Disney pictures "Shipwrecked" and "Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken" for examples of how to make movies for young audiences without offensive material.
Intended as a spoof of boy-and-his-dog films, "Bingo" stars an anthropomorphic pooch who is so human-like he can turn on a faucet, punch up 911 on a pay phone and then use Morse code to communicate with police.
The story has him saving the life of a young, picked-on boy (Robert J. Steinmiller Jr.), then following the lad's family across the country when they move.
Along the way he is captured by a sausagemaker whose ingredients include caged canines — Bingo leads them in an escape; he foils a pair of crooks (one of whom is concerned about the environment), later testifying in court against them; and finds time to ride a skateboard and browse through a dog-version of Playboy.
"Bingo" is somewhat inventive, but isn't written well enough to follow through on its ideas. And while rolling through a series of movie cliches, spoofing prison films, courtroom dramas, circus pictures, etc., there is a lethargy that wears down the audience.
As Steinmiller's parents, Cindy Williams and David Rasche are far too broad, but, as written, their roles don't allow them much room for subtlety.
The film is not without its amusing moments, but director Matthew Robbins ("*batteries not included") seems to think the sight of a dog doing all these things is inherently funny. It's not.
My 8-, 10- and 12-year-old children thought it was OK, but they probably won't be hitting me up to buy it when the video rolls around.
"Bingo" is rated PG for violence, profanity and vulgarity.