The Duke (1999)

The Duke is a Fun Film for the Whole Family!

The Duke is a very cute movie that features a live bloodhound and basset hound. Children (and adults) who are dog lovers will enjoy this movie. The story is a little predictable with a happy ending, but that's the way it should be with a movie so adorable! I highly recommend giving The Duke a turn in your DVD player. February 8, 2008

Gone to the Dogs

Meet Hubert, a lovable dog in the tradition of all lovable dogs. Hubert has a reasonably good life. He lives with his master, the Duke of Dingwall (John Neville, "Urban Legend" and "The Fifth Element"), and is generally cared for by Clive Chives (James Doohan in his next to last movie) and his niece Charlotte Chives (Courtnee Draper). Everyone is generally happy until the Duke passes away.

The trouble begins during the reading of the Duke's will. The Duke's sleazy nephew believes he will be the heir of Dingwall, which includes a fortune in jewels, art and various antiques. The Duke of Dingwall has left a surprise for everyone; the Duke left his estate to Hubert and specified that Charlotte should be Hubert's guardian.

The Duke's nephew is furious and does his best to take control of Dingwall. With his wife's help, he reminds everyone that a ball must be held. He hopes that the ball will be a disaster and that the Queen of England will refuse to recognize the Duke as the inheritor of the title. Next, he tries to get the Duke to marry a poodle, hoping to control the estate through his ownership of the poodle. A viewer will have to see how this movie ends!

Much of this movie is derivative, and apparently so derivative that the movie went direct to video. Though the movie was low budget with only modest originality, I enjoyed it. This movie is a light comedy and much of the comedy works. There are several places where I laughed out loud.

There are places where this movie is corny, and at least a couple of places where the movie is so corny that it is almost unwatchable. The formal ball is unbelievable, but there was enough humor in the ball and it was in the spirit of the theme so I got through that part. However, the marriage between the two dogs was too incredible and there was not enough humor to hold my interest. If the marriage scene had been replaced with some other scene I would have rated this movie four stars.

I think that if you enjoy funny dog movies you will find this movie worthy of watching at least once. Even better, all members of the family can watch this movie. Just be ready to explain that dogs can not be married in real life.
January 28, 2007

Heartwarming and Fun

We have been told the star of the show "Duke" is a Great Uncle to our 2 Black and Tans. This is just a fun, heartwarming, movie about Puppy love, yes, real puppies. Great movie to watch with your entire family of all ages!!!! December 2, 2004

DOGS

A wonderful movie for the whole family and for any dog lovers..A dog who becomes a duke...WE LOVE IT July 15, 2003

Family Fun

Philip Spink's great masterpiece of family fun! Nice mix of characters that worked as a family to put the whole movie together. A very enjoyable working experience and one I'll share for years to come (I was an extra in it- A butler). Way to go Cast and Crew! A must see for everyone!... December 16, 2000

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