Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Marva It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

TheLittleSongbird Dondi is not the worst movie I have ever seen or even in my bottom 20. That said, it is still a terrible movie. There may be those who like it, but for me I saw it once as a child and kind of liked it but when I re watched it I was literally appalled at what I just watched.To me the film looks dated, the cinematography is dreary and the sets, costumes and scenery didn't do much for me either. Likewise with the soundtrack, I liked the use of the single harmonica but nothing stuck out as memorable. The script is absolutely awful, the jokes are unfunny and tiresome while the sentimentality really left a bad taste in my mouth.The story is very badly paced and predictable and the direction is leaden. The acting I don't know where to begin criticising, David Janssen looks both humiliated and bored, while David Kory in the title role is incredibly irritating and can't act if his life depends on it.So all in all, not the worst but still an awful movie. 1/10 Bethany Cox

moonspinner55 Italian boy, not only orphaned but apparently nameless, stows away with a group of too-chummy American GIs sailing for New York City; soon, little mush-mouthed 'Dondi'--as his soldier buddies have been instructed to call him--gets lost in the crowd and attaches himself to a con artist and an orphaned dog. Screenwriters Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen, basing their characters on the not-too-popular comic strip, certainly leave family audiences orphaned with this ridiculous treacle, full of artificial hugs and kisses. It's like being suffocated with valentines. David Kory is an indisputably terrible child actor...but to be fair, nobody in this cast comes out looking particularly good. Producer-director Albert Zugsmith cannot stage the simplest comedic gag without turning the principals on-screen into dummies. Patti Page, in adoptive-mommy mode, probably fares the best; she sings a hot version of "Jingle Bells" over the opening credits (was Zugsmith hoping his film would become a holiday perennial?) and manages to make conversation with Kory, which is amazing since I couldn't understand a word the kid was saying. A seat-numbing excuse for a kiddie matinée. * from ****

ecarr-3 I had seen Dondi when I was a young girl and I loved it. I my mother laughing so hard during some of the scenes in the movie. And I did not hear my mom laugh a lot so that was nice to see. I think about this movie a lot especially around Christmas time. I have been looking for this movie for years and I finally found a copy of it on ebay and I purchased it. I can't wait to sit down with my 10 old boy and watch it. This movie is as clean a movie as they get and I thought Dondi was a cute little boy and was a good little actor. I am so excited about watching this movie again and I hope to find anther one to send to my mom, or heck after I watch it I might send it to her and look for another one for me. Some say it is a boring movie, but for me it wilI always remind me of my mother laughing so hard and often throughout the show. I think a lot of families would enjoy this movie as well, especially if you like happy endings.

Jordan_Haelend The summary line is, of course, intended to parody David Kory's very strange use of language in this film, but I can't shake myself of the idea that the pinhead who first proposed this as a project spoke of it in like glowing words.The comic strip was okay for what it was. But trying to make a movie out of it? Watching this is a stomach-turner to be sure. The whole syrupy lovableness bit is nauseating, and I've heard stories of kids who watched this when it first came out having squirmed with embarrassment at it, which is pretty painful when you consider how undemanding kids usually are when it comes to kid-friendly movies. Even worse are the stale, unfunny jokes.A sequel was planned, but thankfully it went nowhere. David Kory couldn't act, but even worse is the fact that his director couldn't, evidently, do his own job either.