Show Dogs

Show Dogs

Company type	Film
Industry	Entertainment
Founded	2018 (2018)
Founder	Raja Gosnell (director), Max Botkin (writer), Marc Hyman (writer)
Products	Buddy cop comedy film

Show Dogs is a 2018 buddy cop comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and penned by Max Botkin alongside Marc Hyman. The cast features Will Arnett, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Natasha Lyonne, Jordin Sparks, Gabriel Iglesias, Shaquille O'Neal, Omar Chaparro, and Stanley Tucci. The storyline follows a Rottweiler police dog and his human partner as they infiltrate a high-profile dog competition to dismantle an animal trafficking scheme.

The movie debuted in the United States on May 18, 2018, and was met with predominantly unfavorable reviews from critics. Shortly after its release, it sparked controversy due to a particular scene criticized for allegedly endorsing child grooming, which led the studio to issue an apology and modify the film for its second weekend in theaters.

Produced on a budget of $5.5 million, Show Dogs earned $39.2 million globally.

Plot

Max, a tough Rottweiler serving as a police K-9, tries to save Ling-Li, a baby giant panda, from an animal trafficking network but unintentionally interferes with an FBI operation involving his human partner Frank, who holds Max responsible for the criminals' escape. Consequently, they join forces and go undercover as a show dog and its trainer at the Canini Invitational dog competition in Las Vegas to thwart the smuggling ring.

Cast

• Will Arnett as Frank Nicholas
• Natasha Lyonne as Mattie
• Omar Chaparro as Señor Gabriel
• Andy Beckwith as Berne
• Oliver Tompsett as Chauncey
• Simon Lipkin as Captured Smuggler
• Kerry Shale as Thin Man
• Colin Stinton as NYPD Chief
• Lachele Carl as FBI Director
• Khali Best as Dog Pound Attendant
• Bradley Gosnell as Stage Manager
• Zachery Lou Wilson as Caesars Security Guard
• Ronni Ancona as Poopsie Chow’s Owner
• Melanie Ebanks as Animal Control Officer
• Lysander Abadia as Hallway Dog's Owner
• Christina Dohmen as Cupcake Chef
• Ben Kerr as NYPD Cop
• Renee Castle as News Anchor
• Flaminia Cinque as Spa Manager
• Sean Alexander as Magician
• Madeleine Woolner as Perfumier
• Patsy Hollings, Steve Rose, Carol Durrant, Alex Paisey, and Lynda Race as Canini Judges
• Beth Richardson and Shannon Sangiorgio as Philippe’s Selfie Fans

Voices

• Ludacris voices Max, the Rottweiler
• Jordin Sparks provides the voice of Daisy, an Australian Shepherd
• RuPaul voices Persephone, a Xoloitzcuintle
• Gabriel Iglesias is Sprinkles, a Pug
• Shaquille O'Neal voices Karma, a Komondor
• Stanley Tucci portrays Philippe, a Papillon
• Alan Cumming voices Dante, a Yorkshire Terrier
• Anders Holm, Blake Anderson, and Kate Micucci lend their voices to Pigeons
• Kerry Shale voices multiple characters including Sarge, Luther, Deepak the Tiger, Chicago Rottweiler, and Backstage Dogs
• Bradley Gosnell provides voices for Caesars Announcer, Rottweiler, Male Labrador Retriever, King Poodle, Agility Dogs, Backstage Dogs
• Delaney Milbourn voices Sparky, Ling Li, Mama Rottweiler, Afghan, Female Labrador, Cannonball Terrier, Cowabunga Dog, Backstage Dogs
• Stephen Hogan voices Bullmastiff and Canini Announcer
• Andrew Ortenberg voices Agility dogs and Backstage Dogs

Production

Filming for Show Dogs commenced on November 28, 2016, primarily at Pinewood Studio Wales in the United Kingdom, with supplementary scenes captured on location in Las Vegas.

Release

Show Dogs premiered in the United States on May 18, 2018, followed by its DVD and Blu-ray release on August 21, 2018.

Box office

The film accumulated $17.7 million domestically across the US and Canada, with an additional $20.9 million from international markets, resulting in a global total of $38.8 million.

Opening against competitors like Deadpool 2 and Book Club, it was anticipated to earn between $7 and $9 million from 3,145 theaters but debuted with $6 million, placing sixth at the box office. In its second weekend, the revenue declined by 49% to $3.1 million, dropping to seventh place.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Show Dogs holds an approval rating based on a number of reviews, with an average score indicating mixed reception. The critical consensus suggests the movie may appeal to children but underperforms for other audiences. Metacritic assigned it a score of 31 out of 100 from 14 critics, reflecting generally unfavorable feedback. Meanwhile, CinemaScore polling showed audiences awarding the film an average grade of "A−."

The film was largely criticized by reviewers. Christy Lemire from RogerEbert.com gave it 0.5 out of 4 stars, highlighting issues with character development and visual effects. Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle rated it zero stars, citing deficiencies in production quality and pacing. British critic Mark Kermode declared it the worst film released in 2018.

In contrast, Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter commended the inventive casting choices and self-aware screenplay, describing it as a high-concept family comedy that manages to avoid being the "runt of the litter," despite lacking originality.

Accolades

Awards and nominations
Year	Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
2018	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Family Movie	Show Dogs	Template:Shortlisted
2019	Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Supporting Actor	Chris "Ludacris" Bridges (voice only)	Template:Nom

Child grooming controversy and subsequent re-edit

The movie attracted criticism over its portrayal of child grooming, centering on a storyline where the dog protagonist experiences non-consensual genital touching from a dog show judge. During these sequences, characters advise him to mentally "check out." Early critiques, including one from Macaroni Kid, linked this narrative element to concerns about sexual predators and suggested it might inadvertently encourage children to accept inappropriate contact.

Later commentators described these implications as both "disturbing and serious." Bob Hoose of Focus on the Family's "Plugged In" review outlined the scene's content without attributing intent but acknowledged the raised concerns. Slate's Ruth Graham observed that this subplot introduced a darker tone contrasting with the film's generally lighthearted humor.

The British Board of Film Classification regarded the scene as comedic rather than sexual in nature, interpreting US criticisms as misunderstandings.

Co-writer Max Botkin publicly distanced himself from these controversial scenes, noting that multiple writers extensively revised the script and condemning the problematic themes. Distributor Global Road Entertainment responded by editing out two scenes deemed unsuitable for children and re-released the modified version in theaters shortly thereafter.

Despite these changes, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation continued to express objections and recommended parents avoid bringing children due to remaining contentious content.

External links

• Official site