If there's one thing we never tire of here at Gun Dog, it's quoting lines from our favorite movies. We can rattle off scenes from Goodfellas for hours: "Spida, on ya way ovah here, bring me a cuddy and wada, huh." Well, we thought instead of wasting our valuable time doing our best Joe Pesci impersonations around the office, it'd be a bit more productive and entertaining for you if we helped you share in the fun.
So we took our passion for great movies and came up with a list of the best dog films of all time. Not all of these flicks are "dog movies," per se, but rest assured, there's a pooch in every one of them. We also considered the watchability of each film and if we couldn't get through it, it's hard to expect you to. The result is our list of the 10 best dog movies of all time.
10. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Will Farrell, staring in
Anchorman, has a best friend/terrier named 'Baxter, ' that is, until Farrell's character 'Ron Burgundy ' throws a burrito at motorcyclist Jack Black. Black responds by drop-kicking poor Baxter over the side of a bridge, sending Burgundy in a downward spiral that sees him lose his love interest 'Veronica Corningstone ' (Christina Applegate) and his job.
9. Back to the Future
'I have your car towed all the way to your house, and all you have for me is a light beer? ' Yes, Biff Tannen is a dog, but we're thinking of Doc Brown's sheepdog, Einstein. He doesn't play a prominent role in
Back to the Future, but he is the world's first time traveler, so you can't deny his importance in canine history.
7. K-9
Jim Belushi is pretty much resigned to singing the seventh-inning stretch and slugging down Wrigley hot dogs a few times each summer on Chicago's North Side, but he also used to be a heck of a B-movie actor.
K-9 will give you a few laughs though, like when Belushi sends Jerry Lee through the car wash for a bath in his convertible, and the German Shepard responds by eating his side mirror.
4. Lady and the Tramp
A classic from Walt Disney, every kid should see
Lady and the Tramp, a movie about a posh cocker spaniel (Lady) and her exploits with Tramp, a stray from the wrong side of the tracks. The most endearing scene is, of course, when the two kiss while enjoying a candle-lit spaghetti dinner.
Hardships abound throughout the movie, but there's a happy ending when Lady's owners adopt Tramp and the two dogs have a litter of their own.
5. Lassie
Lassie has been re-made several times, but you can't talk about Hollywood dogs without Lassie. A determined collie, who seems to be smarter than most Harvard undergrads, Lassie can get you out of any situation. Fall down a mineshaft? No problem, Lassie will run and get the sheriff so quick you will be home in time for that steak dinner.
3. Marley & Me
We think most Lab owners can identify with
Marley & Me, in which a young couple (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) who adopt a yellow pup that turns out to be a terror. Nothing is safe when Marley is around, including a necklace Wilson buys for Aniston. The dog eats it and his owners must wait as it makes its way through his digestive tract. When it finally comes time to put Marley down, Wilson pets him as the dog's given a lethal dose in a beautiful moment that captures how much we really love our pets.
2. Old Yeller
Old Yeller, the 'best dog-gone dog in the West, ' endears himself to the Coates' family after father, Jim, leaves home to work a cattle drive in post-Civil War Texas. The stray blackmouth cur fights off wild boars and a wolf, which bites him, turning the family pet into a snarling beast that tries to attack Arliss, the younger of two brothers. Older sibling, Travis, is forced to put down Yeller. What a tearjerker.
8. The Sandlot
Scotty Smalls' first home run in
The Sandlot was a memorable one — he smacked his step-dad's autographed Babe Ruth baseball into the clutches of 'The Beast, ' a giant Mastiff. The cast of characters has to get the ball back, and tries mightily to do so, until the boys are at their wits end and knock on the door of the dog's owner (James Earl Jones). Jones trades the boys his 1927 Murderer's Row signed ball for Smalls' ball, and 'Hercules ' becomes the team mascot.
6. There's Something About Mary
'Puffer, stay away from the light! ' Who can forget the scene in
There's Something About Mary where Matt Dillon kills and then revives Puffer, Cameron Diaz's neighbor's dog, who 'doesn't like bad guys. ' Puffer also attacks leading man Ben Stiller and ends up in a full-body cast. The Farrelly brothers will have you laughing in agony with this cult classic.
1. Turner & Hooch
Released just three months after K-9,
Turner & Hooch experienced more acclaim, probably because the star of the film (Tom Hanks) was an actual person and not the dog. But we do love the slobbering Hooch, a Dogue de Bordeaux, who ransacks Hanks' home while the two chase down bad guys alongside Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) from the TV series 'Family Matters. '