''Lenny the Wonder Dog'' is a 2005

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

about the

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

dog, Lenny, directed by Oren Goldman from a screenplay written by

Michael Winslow Michael Leslie Winslow (born September 6, 1958) is an American actor, comedian and beatboxer billed as The Man of 10,000 Sound Effects for his ability to make realistic sounds using only his voice. He is best known for his roles in all seven '' ...

, and filmed on locations in Florida. The cast included many prominent actors and celebrities such as Craig Ferguson and

Andy Richter Paul Andrew Richter (born October 28, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, and talk show announcer. He is best known as the sidekick for Conan O'Brien on each of O'Brien's talk shows: ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Late Night'' and ' ...

as the voice of Lenny. The movie had television release in Europe and after video release received generally poor reviews. The film is notable for being one of

Oscar Isaac Óscar Isaac Hernández Estrada (born March 9, 1979) is a Guatemalan-born American actor. Known for his versatility, he has been credited with breaking stereotypes about Latino characters in Hollywood. He was named the best actor of his gene ...

's earliest roles.

Plot

Doctor Island ( Tim Derricourt) has invented a computer microchip he plans to use to train dogs instantly. However, his former colleague, Doctor Wagner ( Allan Kumpulandien), has other plans for the microchip: he wants to implant copies in every child in order to brainwash them to come work for him after they turn 18, and be exceedingly loyal. In the fight between Doctor Island and Doctor Wagner's henchmen, Hanky ( Mark Harding), Panky ( Ned Cooke), and Doctor Island get injured and his dog Lenny (

R. Brandon Johnson Richard Brandon Johnson (born January 14, 1974) is an American actor and television host. From 2011 to 2013, he starred as Gary Wilde on the Disney Channel series ''Shake It Up''. He has also hosted the TNT reality competition series '' 72 Hours' ...

) is injected with the computer microchip. On the run, Lenny finds his brainpower growing. And when he finds a girl, CeCe (

Bella Thorne Annabella Avery Thorne (born October 8, 1997) is an American actress, singer, and writer. She first received recognition for her roles as Margaux Darling in the series ''Dirty Sexy Money'' (2007–2008) and as Ruthy Spivey in the drama series ...

), to be his friend and savior, Lenny discovers he can talk. Lenny (continually amazed by the new powers the embedded microchip keeps giving him), CeCe (full of unrequited love for longtime friend Rocky), and school newspaper reporter Rocky (

Zendaya Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman ( ; born September 1, 1996) is an American actress and singer. She has received various accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the ...

) (out to write the story of the century) team up with downtrodden police officer John Wyndham ( Dave Rennick) to defeat Dr. Wagner and his henchmen. The showdown culminates at the school concert given by Pop Star Angie (IM5), where CeCe's inspiring speech and Lenny's audio powers combine to incriminate Doctor Wagner, who is arrested by the police captain, now appreciative of Officer Wyndham's talents for police-work and crime-solving, while CeCe and Rocky kiss.

Cast

* Sammy Kahn as Zach *

Joe Morton Joseph Thomas Morton Jr. (born October 18, 1947) is an American stage, television and film actor. He has worked with film director John Sayles in ''The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' City of Hope'' (1991) and '' Lone Star'' (1996). Oth ...

as Dr. Island *

as the voice of Lenny * Craig Ferguson as Dr. Richard Wagner *

Kathy Kinney Kathy Kinney (born November 3, 1954, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin) is an American actress, voice actress, and comedian. She gained considerable popularity in the late 1990s for playing Mimi Bobeck, the outrageously made-up, flamboyantly vulgar, a ...

as Lisa Lathers *

as John Wyndham *

Jeff Chase Jeff Chase (born Jeffrey L. Sniffen; January 17, 1968) is an American film and television actor who played for the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League. Chase was born in Paterson, New Jersey. Raised in Totowa, New Jersey and West Pate ...

as Panky *

Evan Adams Evan Tlesla Adams (born November 15, 1966) is an Indigenous Canadian actor, playwright, and physician. A Coast Salish from the Sliammon First Nation near Powell River, British Columbia, he is best known internationally for his roles in the films ...

as Razel *

Paola Turbay Paola Turbay Gómez (born November 29, 1970) is a Colombian-American actress, model, beauty queen, and television presenter. Related to Julio César Turbay Ayala, Turbay represented Bogotá in the Miss Colombia beauty pageant and won in 199 ...

as Mrs. Ripley * Camila Banus as Rainbow *

as Detective Fartman * Stephanie Sherrin as Becky * Andrew Shaifer as Hanky * "Boomer" as Lenny * Rus Blackwell as Harley * Jeffrey William Evans as Chief Greenwald * Damaris Justamante as Mayor Jenkins * Maria de los Angeles Monasterio as Angie * P.C. Martinez as Bodyguard * Graham Purdy as Jeremy * Roberto Smith as Henry

Release

Filmed at locations in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

under the working title of ''A Dog and his Boy'', the film had its first television release December 5, 2005 in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

as ''Lenny, a Csodakutya'', followed by screening in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

as ''Lenny, der Wunderhund'', in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

as ''Lenny ihmekoira'', and in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

as ''Lenny le chien parlant''. Later French DVD release was as ''Lenny Wonderdog''. DVD releases include by North by Northwest Entertainment in 2005, Third Millennium in 2006, Boulevard Entertainment in 2007, and Peace Arch Trinity in 2008.

Reception

''Lenny the Wonder Dog'' has received generally negative reviews. ''

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

'' panned the film giving it one star and writing "a baffling plot, cheap special effects, the repetitious chase scenes, and overall silliness make this movie almost unwatchable for adults", adding "though kids might find the visual jokes and pratfalls hilarious, the film sets the quality bar at a very low level." They also offered that Craig Ferguson's performance as the megalomaniacal Dr. Richard Wagner, "is so over-the-top it could become a career landmark."

The Dove Foundation The Dove Foundation is an American non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, that issues film reviews, ratings and endorsements of movies that it considers suitable for family audiences, and that bases said reviews on Christian values. D ...

criticized the language used in the film as non-family friendly, writing "Although this is an off-the-wall comedy that is geared toward the family, it cannot be family approved due to some language issues." Florida real estate developer Jeff Sherrin "politely but abruptly shrugs off" any question about the film. His daughter, Stephanie Sherrin, appeared in this film as well as in ''

Kids in America "Kids in America" is a song recorded by English pop singer Kim Wilde. It was released in the United Kingdom as her debut single in January 1981, and in the United States in spring 1982, later appearing on her Kim Wilde (album), self-titled de ...

''.

References

External links

* * at the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and see ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lenny The Wonder Dog 2000s adventure comedy films 2004 films 2005 films American adventure comedy films Films about dogs 2004 comedy films 2005 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films 2010s American films