My Dog Skip (2000) **

Directed by Jay Russell. With Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane and Kevin Bacon. A coming-of-age story set in a little Mississippi town during World War II. A friendless little boy (Muniz, from TV’s Malcolm in the Middle) gets a cute puppy dog and suddenly becomes very popular in school. The film is predictable and very sentimental, but extremely likeable. And while it has been advertised as a toilet-humor comedy for kids, it’s actually a serious work made for adults as well as for children.