R-rated comedies have been big business of late, with films like The Hangover bringing in over $100 million. Personally, I've never understood how complete debauchery and lewdness made for great comedy, but that's simply a personal preference in taste. My speed when it comes to comedies leans more toward films like Old Dogs. Granted, a film starring John Travolta and Robin Williams could quite easily lend itself to the R-rated comedy formula, but instead this is a cleaner, fun, feel-good comedy that hearkens back to the days of classic Disney comedies such as The Shaggy Dog or Herbie. It's not the funniest movie ever, and it's not the best movie ever, but if you're looking for a cleaner, slightly more family-friendly (meaning more for older kids than younger), slightly cheesy yet still heart-warming and quite often quite funny comedy, I'd say Old Dogs is just the one for you.

At its core, Old Dogs is simply a story about friendship. However, it's a story about a type of friendship that unfortunately seems rather rare today. In a culture that's encouraging people to latch on to the idea that "it's all about me," this is a story about a friendship where "it's all about you." These are friends who genuinely care for each other, so much so that they're willing to sacrifice their own comfort, desires, dreams, and more for the sake of their friend. It's a friendship where the good of the other outweighs the good of self. As I watched, I started thinking about what sort of friend I am to others and I also realized what a blessing it is to have people you can truly call "friend."

As I was thinking about what sort of friend I am, I asked myself: Am I the type of friend who would do anything for the people I care about? Am I the type of friend who would sacrifice for others? Am I the type of friend who would sacrifice my life for another? Am I the type of friend who would be willing to pay the penalty, even the penalty of death, for a friend who I knew was guilty of a crime? Would I step in and give my life for theirs? These may seem like extreme questions, but Jesus once said that there is no greater love than one who lays down his life for his friends. This wasn't just some quaint, fortune-cookie statement to help him sound wise and profound, this was a statement of fact about his friendship for us. Jesus is the type of friend who was not only willing to give his life for us, he was willing to step in and pay the penalty for our sin, despite the fact that we were guilty and he was not, and despite the fact that the penalty for sin is death. Jesus Christ took that penalty for us; he died for us, because he is our friend. Granted, not everyone accepts that friendship, but one thing Old Dogs brought to my mind is that it's a very sad thing to go through life without any real friends, and Jesus is as real and as true of a friend as they come.

Getting back to the movie, however, the ability for this movie to connect with audiences lies solely on the shoulders of the two stars. If we don't believe that John Travolta and Robin Williams are good friends, the emotional resonance and many of the funny moments would be lost. Fortunately, Travolta and Williams have not only great chemistry together as two best friends, but also great comedic timing together. Their performances are brisk and full of energy and more often than not pretty funny. Even the moments when they aren't laugh-out-loud funny, they still manage to bring a smile to your face.

Seth Green, unfortunately, has a completely pointless part in the film and it seems like he was included merely in an attempt to draw in some younger fans. Likewise the kids aren't put to much good use other than a plot device and a catalyst for the misadventures of Travolta and Williams. That's fine, though, because it really is their movie and they carry it affably.

Old Dogs is not ground-breaking, edgy comedy. It's pretty safe, somewhat cliched, and wholly predictable. But you know what? It's also enjoyable, heart-warming and often genuinely funny. As I said, it's one of those comedies that feels like the classic Disney comedies of old, and that suits me just fine during the holiday season.