As you probably know, the whole "Dog Day Afternoon" plot has been done to death by other movies and television shows. But the twist in this redoing - having the hostage takers be youths - does have some promise. Sadly, the execution here is poorly handled. Burt Reynolds (who spends almost all of his scenes in a squad car, suggesting that his footage was quickly filmed) acts like he is performing in his sleep. But his performance is Academy Award material compared to the other acting in the movie. I don't blame the two youths who play the hostage takers for their poor performances - I blame the director for having them act in a way that more suggests crazy ADULTS instead of confused YOUTHS. It also doesn't help that their dialogue also comes across in this way as well. This movie really stretches credibility, not just for that but for also revealing that the 63 year-old Reynolds plays someone who is the father of a little girl.

Pups reminds me of the kind of story an eleven year old might act out in his back yard on a boring summer's day after having just watched Dog Day Afternoon. It's completely childish. Two kids make an impromptu bank robbery after finding a gun on the way to school, or something outrageous to the like. A suicidal teenager who only seems suicidal because he is telling us and his docile little girlfriend yell and curse their way through a tenuous plot.It's like the writer/director is giving the audience no credibility. Where's the depth into the psychology of the characters? There is none. They contradict their emotions and go with the flow, playing the robbery like a game of kiss and catch. It doesn't help that the acting from the kids is forced and amateurish.If you want a good movie revolving around a bank robbery, I draw your attention back to the parallel of Dog Day Afternoon.

I see you have written reviews for many films and probably consider yourself as a well experienced movie watcher (lol) I understand what you're saying about this film, i agree it was poor but i still enjoyed it, it's really not that bad. Hey it's a film and sometimes things are a bit unreal like the bank being open before school etc. I think that Cameron played really well considering it was one of his first films, we all have to start somewhere! Mischa however was like a cardboard cutout, a few outbursts both outside the bank could have been done better. I think that the swearing and gun waving was a clever way of setting the confusion and panic young Stevie was going through. He was starting to realize that this was seriousHowever people enjoy different films and we are both entitled to our own opinion i do agree that it was poor but still enjoyable

I chose to watch "Pups" because I'm a fan of Mischa Barton and Burt Reynolds, but I do have to say that I was disappointed by this movie. The main thing that bothered me was that it's very loud! So loud, that it gave me a headache. Why is it deemed necessary that Cameron Van Hoy's character "Stevie" needs to shout every single one of his lines? It gets very aggravating watching this kid rant and rave for the entire film. I agree with some of the other comments too, that "Pups" just doesn't seem to flow together. It drags at points, gets repetitive, and tiring to watch. I also agree that these kids were presented as too filthy minded for kids their age. The point would have still gotten across, even if the kids were less vulgar with their speech and attitudes. I ended up rating "Pups" a "5" because it's far from the worst I've ever seen in film, but it was no where near as good as I hoped it would be. If you're a big fan of Mischa or Burt too, then watch it like I did just so you can say you've seen it, but don't expect that "Pups" will end up being one of your favorites.