Haven't done this feature in a while, mostly because I've been too busy to drop two hours on movies that aren't good but also aren't bad enough to be enjoyable, but I happened to be couchridden the other day clicking between Underdog on Starz HD and the Pirates blowing a 6-0 lead to the White Sox in one inning, and I ultimately chose the lesser of two evils. I will say, though, for a 15% on Rottentomatoes, Underdog was surprisingly inoffensive. The screenplay handled the idea of a beagle inheriting superpowers and battling crime about as well as one could, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed by the movie's mundane-ness and lack of potential for ironic, drunken entertainment. In short, it was no Shaggy Dog. WHY WE FORGOT THIS MOVIE EXISTED: Most action fans opted for The Bourne Ultimatum ($69.2 mil box office) over Floating Dog Movie ($11.5 mil) last August, plus we were still too busy being disappointed by The Simpsons Movie to call out Underdog for its more minor nostalgia-ruining infraction. MOST UNAPOLOGETICALLY PHONED-IN PERFORMANCE: Jason Lee's title character rivals that of Chevy Chase in Karate Dog as the most half-assed voiceover performance in a film about an animal with the ability to fight. Lee's voiceover work in The Incredibles is phenominal, though, meaning that he's certainly capable of delivering as an animated character, he just shrewdly decided not to try too hard on this one. MOST DESERVING TO BE IN THIS FILM: Our good buddy Jim Belushi drops in as a night watchman who refuses to apologize, and the producers generously cut him the paycheck without encouraging him to make any misogynistic remarks or sneak in any catchphrases (e.g., "That's the way I see it, according to Jim!") LEAST DESERVING TO BE IN THIS FILM: Tie between diminutive archvillain Peter Dinklage and his sidekick, Patrick "Puddy" Warburton, who both deliver their jokes with impeccable comic timing, thus removing any doubt that the lameness of the humor isn't the fault of the actors. "WAIT A SECOND, AM I HIGH?" MOMENT: During the dramatic climax, the evil professor injects the endless-superpower-serum into three German Shepards, then the evil dogs start flying around and battle Underdog IN THE AIR. Congratulations, director Frederick Du Chau -- you just got IMDB'd! UNDERDOG BY THE NUMBERS FORGETTABILITY FACTOR: 6. Enjoyed the cartoon, but didn't have Transformers-esque expectations for the live-action version. IRONIC HUMOR: 3. It's honestly not even that bad. Which sucks. TACKED-ON-NESS OF THE ROMANTIC SUBPLOT: 7. Though I haven't seen the Unrated Director's Cut, which has six or seven nude scenes. GLADNESS THAT ROB CORDDRY OR SOMEONE LIKE THAT WASN'T IN THIS MOVIE: 8. No Will Arnett, Andy Richter, etc. BOTTOM LINE: If you're gonna make a kids movie about a superhero dog, either take the Pixar approach and aim for something unapologetically absurd that respects kids' ability to follow a genuinely interesting plot, or just go for broke and make the movie really terrible so people like me have a reason to DVR it and show it to prospective girlfriends to see if they laugh at it too so I can tell if they're keepers.

Read more at: http://www.bestweekever.tv/2008/06/23/movies-you-completely-forgot-existed-underdog/.