Let sleeping dogs lie. There is wisdom in that timeworn adage. The good folks of Disney would have done well to forego another remake of 1959's The Shaggy Dog. But sleeping dogs cannot be left to lie -- not when studio executives have the opportunity to cash in on gags about ass-sniffing canines.

This updating stars Tim Allen as Dave Douglas, a workaholic prosecutor in Los Angeles whose professional ambitions have eclipsed his home life. With his wife and two teenaged children neglected in the process, Dave has become consumed with a big trial in which he is prosecuting his daughter's teacher for setting fire to a drug firm that subjects animals to lab experiments.

But the drug company is experimenting in ways that no one suspects. One such test involves a 300-year-old bearded collie recently snatched from the mountains of Tibet. The drug firm's resident madman, Dr. Kozak (a joyously unhinged Robert Downey Jr.), believes that the pooch holds the key to a serum for eternal youth.

One thing leads to another, as they so often do in such movies, and the oldster canine winds up in the Douglas household, where it promptly bites Dave. Overnight the sober-minded assistant district attorney is scratching at imaginary fleas, reflexively lifting his leg at urinals and giving in to the overwhelming desire to chase all manners of sticks and cats.

It isn't long before Dave is transformed into a dog completely. His Kafkaesque nightmare, however, is slightly offset by the fact that he still thinks like Dave and can return to human form whenever he calms down -- or when the screenplay requires it.

Despite some decent physical comedy well-staged by director Brian Robbins (Varsity Blues), no shtick is too groan-inducing for inclusion here. From the too-lame-for-words use of the Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out?" to the appearance of a doggie wearing Dave's bifocals, this PETA-approved Shaggy Dog could stand to be bopped on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper.

Moreover, the picture's inevitable pro-family message rings hollow. Throughout his adventure, Dave the dog learns how to become a more responsive husband and father. But it isn't as if Dave's family is the world's most attentive, either. His blandly pleasant wife, Rebecca (Kirsten Davis), and kids (Spencer Breslin and Zena Gray) don't find anything amiss when dad disappears for days on end and the new pet shows up with long-stemmed roses for Dave's anniversary dinner. Rebecca is unfazed even after her exasperated husband tells her that he has been turning into a dog. This entire family is in need of intensive counseling.

Despite the wheezy jokes and clunky narrative, The Shaggy Dog does feature a handful of nifty bits. Tim Allen is no modern-day Chaplin, but his eagerness to please has its lowbrow charms. When Dave first wades into his impending doghood -- furiously lapping up a bowl of cereal or jubilantly sticking his head out a car window -- our protagonist taps into a cosmic animal joy that, had it been more fully explored, might have made for a movie in which its bark was as good as its bite.

This 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen is a pristine transfer, as you would expect with a new movie. The image is detailed, the colors rich, the blacks black. So it's got that going for it, which is … nice. For less discriminating viewers, the DVD also has a full-frame 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

It's Dolby Digital 5.1 English for the widescreen version, while the full-frame boasts Dolby Digital 2.0 audio in English, French or Spanish. Audio is strong and sharp throughout, but there is a disappointing lack of creativity with regard to sound immersion. Subtitles available are French, Spanish and English for the hearing-impaired.

A commentary with director Robbins and co-producer David Hoberman reveals a friendly, easy rapport between the two, but the track itself is only mildly interesting. Maybe it was just me. Perhaps others will be fascinated to learn that copious discussions went into whether to have talking dogs in the movie.

The rest of the bonuses are far less notable. Four unmemorable deleted scenes clock in at four minutes, 18 seconds. A blooper reel gives you two minutes and 30 seconds of a mugging Tim Allen -- presumably in case the movie's 90 minutes of mugging failed to satisfy that hunger.

For pure filler, the DVD offers "Woof! There It Is," a two-minute, 21-second novelty tune presented here in two karaoke versions, one a sing-along for humans and the other a -- wait for it -- bark-along for dogs.

Final Thoughts:

For a family-friendly comedy, you can do a lot worse. You can also do much, much better. The Shaggy Dog has amusing moments, but too much of the flick indulges the obvious, groan-inducing gag. Maybe it's true: Old dogs really can't learn new tricks.