Air Bud

Play trailer

Air Bud

PG

Released Aug 1, 1997

1h 37m

Kids & Family

Comedy

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

48%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

38%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Diffident in the wake of his father's death, high schooler Josh (Kevin Zegers) struggles to adapt to his new home in Washington state. That all changes, however, when he signs up to be the school basketball team's manager and discovers that his pet dog Bud, a stray golden retriever he took in, can play the sport amazingly well. After Bud joins the team, Josh's life brightens considerably, until the dog's former owner Norm Snively (Michael Jeter) returns in hopes of reclaiming the pooch.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Air Bud's wacky concept isn't entirely enough to fill a feature-length film, but this rather silly family-friendly outing is partly redeemed by its extremely charming title character.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Admirable for the way in which writers Paul Tamasy and Aaron Mendelsohn have injected a sense of reality amid lots of rousing fantasy calamities...

Mar 1, 2024

Full Review

Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Dubious highlights include the dog wearing two pairs of basketball shoes and eating a frightening amount of vanilla pudding.

Mar 1, 2024

Full Review

Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

A smart pet trick that turns into a stupid movie.

Mar 1, 2024

Full Review

Amelia Navascues

Triple J

Who wouldn't love a story about a homeless golden retriever who runs away from his alcoholic clown for a father, Norm, to shoot hoops?

Mar 6, 2018

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

The writing is so messy and aimless that when the film retrenches to generic kid flick mediocrity, it actually counts as a relief.

Rated: 2/10

Nov 27, 2014

Full Review

Heather Boerner

Common Sense Media

A high-flying dog tale for kids.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 9, 2010

Full Review

Read all reviews

Stephen C

Unfunny in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $24,600,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

Xander M

It's not my favorite in the saga, but it's a good start to the many good films that will follow!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/13/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Good for kids. There are some very touching scenes. Cute Golden Retriever (Buddy). 10/10

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/23/25

Full Review

Pillow R

This movie was buns.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/09/24

Full Review

Desiree W

Classic kids movie! Beautiful message. Great actors. Lovely scenery.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/29/24

Full Review

Luke T

The sequels are better but it’s still not a terrible movie

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/13/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Charles Martin Smith

Director

Michael Jeter

Norman F. 'Norm' Snively

Kevin Zegers

Josh Framm

Wendy Makkena

Jackie Framm (Mrs. Framm)

Bill Cobbs

Coach Arthur Chaney

Eric Christmas

Judge Cranfield

The Adventures of Huck Finn

75%

50%

The Adventures of Huck Finn

Watchlist

Jungle 2 Jungle

19%

33%

Jungle 2 Jungle

Watchlist

That Darn Cat

13%

24%

That Darn Cat

Watchlist

D3: The Mighty Ducks

20%

45%

D3: The Mighty Ducks

Watchlist

Flubber

24%

33%

Flubber

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Diffident in the wake of his father's death, high schooler Josh (Kevin Zegers) struggles to adapt to his new home in Washington state. That all changes, however, when he signs up to be the school basketball team's manager and discovers that his pet dog Bud, a stray golden retriever he took in, can play the sport amazingly well. After Bud joins the team, Josh's life brightens considerably, until the dog's former owner Norm Snively (Michael Jeter) returns in hopes of reclaiming the pooch.

Director: Charles Martin Smith
Producer: William Vince, Robert Vince
Screenwriter: Kevin DiCicco, Paul Tamasy, Aaron Mendelsohn
Distributor: Walt Disney Home Video [gb], Buena Vista Pictures
Production Co: Walt Disney Pictures
Rating: PG
Genre: Kids & Family, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 1, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $24.6M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital

Most Popular at Home Now