C.H.O.M.P.S. (1979)

The crime rate is going through the roof and at Norton Securities, business is going to the dogs.Desperate to save her father's company, Casey Norton (Valerie Bertinelli, "One Day at a Time") and her fiancÃ(c)e, electronics genius Brian Foster (Wesley Eure), are about to unveil a secret weapon that'll have burglars begging for mercy: C.H.O.M.P.S., the world's first computerized watch dog!Faster than a speeding pit bull and able to leap tall fire hydrants in a single bound, this powerful pooch is programmed to sink his teeth into crime. But when the company's rivals hear about C.H.O.M.P.S., they hire a pair of prowlers to destroy him. Now Casey and Brian must catch the crooks and outsmart the competition before Norton Securities winds up in the doghouse!

A guilty-pleasure blast from the past

I remember watching this one on cable TV dozens of times as a kid. And after seeing it as an adult many years later, I can honestly say that I have no idea what I saw in this movie that made it such a favorite of mine. Sad but true: back in the day I considered the slapstick adventures of a mechanical Benji-looking dog trying to protect his master as well as keep the bad guys at bay to be the highest of highbrow entertainment. Done in the vein of the classic live-action Disney flicks, 'CHOMPS' manages to reach heights (depths?) of insipidness that 'Herbie The Love Bug' could only dream of... only without the goofy Don Knotts facial expressions. The corny put-downs the bully-mutt "Monster" throws about ("Up yer poop, granny"???) didn't help matters much, either. And how the heck did it get a "G" rating with a single use of the S-bomb in it? One of life's greatest mysteries...

But in spite of its downright ludicrousness, I find myself watching CHOMPS at least a couple times a year. I guess I'm still easily entertained, hmmm? Sad but true...

BTW while the DVD release of CHOMPS includes an original theatrical trailer, and features slightly better picture and sound quality than its VHS counterpart, MGM decided against releasing it in its original widescreen format. So, in case you care `bout that kinda stuff-- well, I'm sorry, but you're S.O.L. in this instance...
`Late April 18, 2005

GREATEST MOVIE EVER

no seriously......
Just fast-forward through all of the dialogue/love scenes, and watch the magic unfurl..... May 6, 2004

Can a dog feel humiliation?

C.H.O.M.P.S. is the story of a robot dog who appears cute and cuddly but has actually been programmed to fight crime! It's the kind of movie we would all like to make, if we had access to various locations in Los Angeles, a camera, a dog, and Valerie Bertinelli.

Somehow I've missed seeing this film for some 25 years. I think maybe I was confusing it with another robot film titled with an exceptionally long acronym, D.A.R.Y.L. Having recently seen C.H.O.M.P.S., I think it's safe to assume that this was supposed to be some kind of vehicle for Valerie Bertinelli, however she ends up having a very diminutive role in the film. In a surprising twist, the *DOG* really is the lead role! One has to wonder why they didn't get Benji for the lead, considering the obvious resemblance. Maybe Benji reviewed the script and decided he had some degree of humility. You've probably heard of some of the other cast members if you were alive in the mid-70's, most notably Jim Backus (Gilligan's Island) and, umm, that guy who played the son in Land of the Lost.

I give this film two stars. One because it has something very few other films have: Valerie Bertinelli. The other star is for remining me how happy I am the late 70's are over and gone. February 1, 2004

This movie made me cry!

This movie should have had a PG rating on this film. I saw some of this when I was 8 years old. When Brian would take the dog's head off, I would scream out for my mom and then start to cry. The scenes where his eyes light up could scare little kids... Take it from me, I know...

I would advise parents to pre screen this before letting them see this movie. Seeing this film today still gives me the shakes! and I am now 30! Bed memories die hard.... May 27, 2001

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