Air Bud: World Pup Reviews

When wealthy British lass Emma Putter (Brittany Paige Bouck) matriculates at Fernfield High School, infatuated Josh Framm (Kevin Zegers) does his darndest to impress her, including becoming her teammate on the Timberwolves soccer team. He also signs up Buddy, his golden retriever, who already excels at basketball and football. Although a rival coach tries to use Buddy's canine status to disqualify the team, the Timberwolves eventually head for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Buddy, no romantic slouch himself, has been sneaking off to the Putter mansion in order to woo Emma's pedigreed dog, Molly. Unfortunately, bumbling thief Webster (Don McMillan) has accepted a position as the Putter's butler in order to kidnap Molly. When Molly gives birth to a litter, however, the thieves pinch her puppies instead. As Josh, Emma, Buddy, and Josh's sister Andrea (Caitlin Wachs) scramble all over town to locate the purloined pooches, their rescue mission coincides with the championship game. Cornball but cute, this third entry in the AIR BUD series does a decent job of celebrating Man's Best Athletic Supporter and doling out wholesome team spirit cliches for tykes. As Buddy's fame on the playing field grows, the movie climaxes with a coda featuring real-life soccer stars Brandi Chastain, Briana Scurry, and Tisha Venturini.