LARRY

Familiar tropes get turned on their furry little ears in this barbed, video-ready rock-and-roll tale. Having already revealed to his human family—divorced songwriter Tom and his sad daughter Cathy—that he can talk, write music and sing, Larry (a dustmop-like Maltese) goes public and becomes an instant international sensation. The fame going straight to his head, Larry proclaims his act to be bigger than the Beatles, and proceeds to alienate Tom, Cathy and all of his fellow dogs, too, with his boasting and snotty behavior. Though played for laughs, there are some sharp edges here; despite his fame, Larry gets the same cold shoulder at hotels and restaurants that African-American performers did (do?), and even acquiring a “Yoko” in luscious fellow Maltese Maggie doesn’t save him from the revelation that it’s lonely at the top. Though yanked around by the tension between his big ego and an ingrained streak of doggy loyalty, Larry never does become a sympathetic character, and even indiscriminate readers may wince at the utterly pat happy ending. Still, the idea of a small dog belting ballads and busting moves atop a grand piano has its attractions. Let the casting begin. (Fantasy. 10-12)