In an old New Yorker cartoon, Timmy, down his usual well, tells his beloved, super-hero collie, "Lassie, get help!" In the next panel, we see the dog stretched out on a couch while a therapist takes notes. Cinematically speaking, Lassie has, indeed, finally gotten help. Expert help. From writer-director Charles Sturridge ("Brideshead Revisited"). And from a first-rate cast headed by Peter O'Toole, Samantha Morton, John Lynch and Peter Dinklage. Though he's jettisoned the "Come Home" part of Eric Knight's cherished dog story — first published in the Saturday Evening Post, then as a novel, on which the exquisite 1943 film was based — Sturridge has been remarkably faithful to the text and, more importantly, to the spirit of the original. Read the full review
Set in 1938, a loyal collie travels more than 1,000 miles from northern Scotland to Yorkshire to return to her young friend. Sold to a wealthy Duke because the boy's father was out of work, the dog runs away and braves starvation and treacherous conditions to follow the pull of her heart toward the family who loves her.
Director: Charles Sturridge
Starring: Samantha Morton, Peter Dinklage, Peter O'Toole, Jemma Redgrave, Kelly MacDonald
Run time: 100 minutes
Release date: Sept. 1, 2006
Rating: PG for some mild violent content and language.
On the web
Official movie site
View the trailer
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Quicktime
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: B+
"Lassie truly does come home here."
The Associated Press: B
"No such thing as subtlety here: Sturridge doesn't just tug on the heartstrings, he yanks at them relentlessly."
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