The Boy, The Dog, And The Clown Image

The Boy, The Dog, And The Clown

By Bobby LePire | December 3, 2019

The strangest thing about The Boy, The Dog, And The Clown is that Nick Lyon directed and co-wrote the family drama. For those who don’t recognize his name, Lyon is the director of several Asylum and Syfy movies; all of them genre heavy. If one were to read the description on the back of a DVD for his movie Bullet, you’d see it touted as a manly man’s movie, with more testosterone than Arnold Schwarzenegger at a bodybuilding competition. That is a paraphrase, of course, but the person who helmed that title has now made a family film whose tagline is “To believe is magic.”

Adrien (Adrien Lyon) is at the beach when he sees a sad-looking clown (Gabriel Dell Jr.) and his dog Foxy. To cheer up the clown, he asks to see a few magic tricks. The clown perks up and performs a trick that makes a butterfly appear in the middle of Adrien’s palm.

“…Adrien has been sad and not himself since his dad died…not evident in the way the character acts…”

After the trick, the kid has to go home. He excitedly tells his mom (Kiki del Vecchio) all about the clown and the magic trick. He even tries to perform it himself, but it does not work. Kiki is happy to see her son so alive and energetic after the passing of his father. Adrien and the clown continue to meet up, and the boy invites the clown to his camping birthday party.

At the party, Adrien’s Uncle Steve (Kenny Johnston) and Aunt Michelle (Jennifer Christopher) are amused by the clown but worried at how little anyone knows about him. Does the clown have ulterior motives? Is the obituary Kiki found actually for the clown, and he is a spirit?

The Boy, The Dog, And The Clown is perfectly adequate but not much else. The problem is that the script, which Lyon co-wrote with Ron Peer, tells the audience that Adrien has been sad and not himself since his dad died. However, that is not evident in the way the character acts throughout the entire movie. Adrien is the one who helps the clown perk up during their initial meeting, not vice versa. Adrien is the optimistic one, who wants to help the homeless clown, versus his more hesitant mom. He is the one who is so excited to go on this camping trip and believes in real magic from the start.

The Boy, The Dog, And The Clown (2019)

Directed: Nick Lyon

Written: Nick Lyon, Ron Peer

Starring: Adrien Lyon, Gabriel Del Jr., Kiki del Vecchio, Kenny Johnston, Jennifer Christopher, etc.

Movie score: 6/10

The Boy, The Dog, And The Clown Image

"…Adrien Lyon is spunky and fun in the lead role"

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  1. Gilbette G Blais says:

    What kind of dog is Foxy? He looks a lot like my Tijuana mystery mutt who, same attitude too;)

    • Bobby LePire says:

      I am not sure. I do not recall the movie mentioning it ever, and I don’t know enough about dog breeds to state for certain.

  2. Nick Lyon says:

    Thanks for the honest review! I’m glad you are surprised by me doing this. It was a blast and had alot of heart put into it.

    • Bobby LePire says:

      Thanks for the comment and the movie. I am glad to see you stretching your wings and trying new things. As always, I look forward to your next film project.

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