A Dog of Flanders

(1999)

Orphaned at birth and living with his poor but loving grandfather, young Nello (played by Jesse James, then Jeremy James Kissner) finds solace in his drawings and, as he pursues his dream of becoming a famous artist, discovers the true power of beauty and love. Sounds like the recipe for a timeless family film -- which this could have been had director Kevin Brodie not crammed it so full of cheese and sap. Brodie's version, the fifth telling of this tale based on a book of the same name, wastes the talents of Jack Warden and Jon Voight in the company of kids who haven't yet learned which facial expression goes with which emotion. For patronizing and boring adults and children alike, this dog should be put to sleep.