Bailey's Billion$

Bailey (a handsome golden retriever, voiced by Jon Lovitz) has just been left a billionaire by his recently deceased, animal-rights advocate owner. Naturally, the heiress' only relative, nephew Caspar Pennington (Tim Curry) and his greedy wife, Dolores (Jennifer Tilly) are ticked off royally. It seems this duo has already borrowed most of the grand lady's foundation money to fund a secret "puppy mill" behind the non-profits' headquarters and to foster their lavish lifestyle. To make matters worse, Bailey can not be bumped off without suspicion and, besides, he has a constant companion, Theodore (Dean Cain), an odd-duck animal behavioralist who can actually "talk" to the wealthy canine. As a front, the Pennington's employee a leading animal rights advocate, Marge (Laurie Holden) to handle the foundation's communications. Ever scheming, the Pennington's hit on the idea that they will "kidnap" Bailey and ask for ransom. Can they pull it off? This film, probably made on an ultra-slim budget, is just wonderful. First, the cast is marvelous, as Cain is a great attraction, even in glasses, and there is a subtle romance for him with the lovely Holden. Lovitz, too, does a fine job as the voice of Bailey. As for Curry and Tilly, they are a dynamic duo, with Curry doing his quietly sarcastic rants that serve as a perfect foil to Tilly's screechy explosions. All of the lesser characters, including the animals, are nice as well. Bailey's digs are a beautiful mansion with extensive grounds while the costumes and production values are quite fine, too. As for the script, it may be formulaic but it is fun, fun, fun, with enough action and suspense to tantalize the typical family audience, or indeed, anyone at all. Why don't you do what I did and plunk down a measly $5.00 bucks to purchase a copy of this winning flick? For a small investment, this films delivers big, big smiles and sighs.