Air Bud 2: Golden Receiver

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Air Bud 2: Golden Receiver ★★ 1998 (G)

Buddy, the canine Michael Jordan of last year's “Air Bud,” is back for more organized team sports with small children. His owner, Josh (Zegers) is still mourning the death of his father and isn't ready to deal with his mother's budding romance with the new veterinarian in town (Harrison). Meanwhile, Josh joins the school's football team and finds himself thrust into the spotlight as the team's quarterback when the starter is injured (big surprise!), only to be bailed out by his multi-sport pooch. Actually, Buddy is played by four different Golden Retrievers, as the original died shortly after completing the original. This rehash tries to take itself seriously, with lessons about overcoming tragedy and adjusting to change, but isn't much more than sappy melodrama and cute dog tricks. 90m/C VHS, DVD. Kevin Zegers, Cynthia Stevenson, Gregory Harrison, Nora Dunn, Robert Costanzo, Tim Conway, Dick Martin, Perry Anzilotti, Suzanne Ristic, Jay Brazeau; D: Richard Martin; W: Paul Tamasy, Aaron Mendelsohn; C: Mike Southon; M: Brahm Wenger.