The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I actually feel really bad for saying this. I love family movies, and the cast especially Tim Curry really intrigued me. Although the concept has been done to death, part of me thought it would be at least amusing and charming. However, apart from one or two half-decent things, as much as I wanted to like it, Bailey's Billion$ just didn't work for me.As I've said there are some things I liked. The best asset about it was the soundtrack, with classics such as the Carmen suite, a lovely instrumental of La Boheme's Quando M'en Vo and Nessun Dorma from Turandot as well as some upbeat contemporary songs, it was a joy to listen to. I loved the locations too, the editing could've been more fluid and tight, however the mansion and scenery were breathtaking. And the dogs were adorable, and Jon Lovitz while deserving of more to do does appeal as Bailey.However, I didn't like everything else. I wasn't impressed by the acting that much. Dean Cain and Laurie Holden are charming but their material is underwritten and their story uninteresting so they can't do much with them. The children also try hard, but their problems are similar, nothing in the writing is done to make them stand out more.I'm sorry to say that I also didn't think much of Jennifer Tilly and Tim Curry, and that saddens me because I like Tilly and have been a big fan of Curry for years now. True, they do have great chemistry together. The problem is while Cain and Holden are underused, Tilly and Curry are used too much. What's worse is they don't have much to work with. Both perform with gusto, but with mixed results.Curry's asides weren't sarcastic enough for my tastes, but he does make an effort with the delivery, that said I did find he did look embarrassed at some points in the film. Tilly though is much more problematic, now I accept that Dolores is a evilly over-the-top and shrill sort of character who likes to make out she's intelligent but she's not really, but nothing in the story or writing are done to go beyond that and Tilly, bless her heart, ends up over-doing it badly.I don't blame the cast really though for Bailey's Billion$ not working out. Three things especially don't work. One is the script, which I'd say is the main culprit. Overall, it was very dull and weak, with Casper and Dolores' many scenes together coming across as cheesy and overdone in particular. The courtroom scene had its moments and the beginning maintained interest, but that's it. The story just didn't engage me either, I found Bailey's Billion$ dully paced with too many predictable scenes that don't flow well from one scene to the next, the whole sequence with the attempt to kidnap Bailey was a prime example and it also didn't add anything new or fresh to the table.I didn't care for any of the characters either. Now it is not always a bad thing when the characters are clichéd, but it is when little or nothing is done to make the characters interesting, which sadly is the case with Bailey's Billion$. The direction also for my liking felt rather stodgy. Overall, I am so sorry but despite the soundtrack, locations, dogs and my love for Tim Curry, I didn't like Bailey's Billion$ at all. 3/10 Bethany Cox

Right now this movie is rated 4.0 on IMDb and judged strictly on its merits as a movie probably deserves that. But we watched it and got a lot of entertainment out of it. Here's why.I remember Dean Cain mostly from his role as Clark Kent and Superman in the "Lois and Clark" TV series. Here he plays dog whisperer Theodore Maxwell, almost like the Clark Kent character, not good with words and clumsy, especially around pretty women. But he has a special talent, he can speak to animals, particularly dogs, and he can understand what they are saying.The pretty woman is Laurie Holden as Marge Maggs and we recognize from the very beginning that they will have some sparks.Jennifer Tilly has been in lots of roles but I remember her particularly for playing the blind lady in "Music From Another Room", and marrying the Hispanic man names Jesus. Here she is the evil Dolores Pennington who is out to get all the wealth for herself.Tim Curry has also been in lots of movies, but I remember him most for the 1975 "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Here he is the partner in crime, Caspar Pennington.So I enjoyed the movie mostly for the actors, watching them do their thing in a mainly inconsequential movie. But there is a story.The rich old lady has died and in her video-recorded will names her faithful dog Bailey as the heir, with Maxwell as the dog's guardian and handler. Jon Lovitz is the voice of Bailey. But the evil Dolores and Caspar are scheming to get all the $$Billions for themselves, while running an illegal dog breeding mill on the side. It is up to Bailey and the others to expose this and make everything right.

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.

I was a teacher in a Hamilton school where the crew ate their lunches between takes, as scenes from this one were being shot. I wanted to see street scenes I recognized, so I ordered in pay-per-view for my kids, 10 and 6. They seemed to like it. I didn't recognize a single Hamilton location. Moreover, I couldn't believe how few jokes were in the script, how thin the characters were, how uninspired the plot and the performances. I like Mary Walsh as a CBC satirist and she's created and played some funny newfie characters, but it's obvious that for this movie, she took the cash and handed in a quickly-written piece of doggy doo doo. I think we've seen the last of Bailey. Bow wow!