Picture Perfect/Air Bud/Spawn/One Eight Seven/Star Maps

Roger Ebert - Host: [reviewing "Air Bud"] The movie has good performances, convincing locations, and an energy level that makes it feel new. I was kind of amazed to find myself enjoying it, but I was.

Gene Siskel - Host: And I enjoyed it more than I thought I was. In terms of recommending it, I'm really on the fence here. I can't say that it's a must-see in any way. Uh, the one thing, as long as we're talking, you mentioned the dead father there. I wanna talk about one other thing: It- it's enjoyable at a certain level.

Roger Ebert - Host: Yes it is.

Gene Siskel - Host: But, the portraits of fathers, of adult males, in children's pictures, I think may be at an all-time low. The parents, the dads in the stands, one is more vulgar and obnoxious, but WAY over the top than the other. The clown is an abusing, y'know, is an abusing...

Roger Ebert - Host: And what about the first coach?

Gene Siskel - Host: The first coach is a complete jerk!

Roger Ebert - Host: And the dad, who's a dead test pilot. That's pretty much par for the course.

Gene Siskel - Host: And the one, well somebody'd say, well, what about the guy who becomes the coach? Yeah, but he's hidden in the shadows, and in ruins. I mean, and mom, of course, is understanding.

Roger Ebert - Host: Yeah, uh-huh.

Gene Siskel - Host: It's a real problem, maybe we ought to do a half-hour show on it, Roger. No one else steal it. We're gonna do it.

[Roger chuckles]

Gene Siskel - Host: We're gonna do it, because I think if we did a laundry list of it, it's pathetic.

Roger Ebert - Host: Well, there does seem to be some kind of a requirement in children's pictures that one, or preferably both parents, be dead at the beginning of the film.

Gene Siskel - Host: Yeah, but there's no requirement that the dad has to be the jerk all the time.

Roger Ebert - Host: Okay, but on the other hand...

Gene Siskel - Host: Yeah.

Roger Ebert - Host: ...This is a fun movie.

Gene Siskel - Host: At, at points. I'm giving it a thumbs down, but frankly, I was all over the map on this one, so... take your pick.