Dogfight
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Movie Reviews of Dogfight
Movie Review: Great!
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this movie a million times and made my mom watch this movie with me the other day. I told her that it was a highly underrated movie and she began watching it with the assumption it was a crappy one. She asked me 'what is so good about a movie revolving around guys finding ugly girls for a dogfight' I told her it was a romantic movie for a reason and that only 1/4 of the movie was based around the dogfight.
We watched and my mom became so intrigued. She smiled and laughed, she thought the awkward kiss was awkward and charming. When Eddie comes back from Vietnam she comments on how different he looks and at the end with that heartbreaking hug she just stared. After the movie she said that this movie was very nice and not what she thought.
Eddie (River Phoenix) is a marine about to be shipped off to Vietnam, he's naive in his own way, he curses every other word and thinks that he is ready for what's to come. Him and his buddies stage a dogfight and have to find an ugly date to take and see if they win. Eddie isn't having luck and stumbles into a cafe and spots Rose (Lili Taylor). He charms and b.s's her to come along. The dogfight begins and Eddie has second thoughts about the whole thing. Rose finds out about the dogfight and Eddie tries to redeem himself by taking her out. What ensues is awkward yet charming and lovely to watch. He comes back a torn soldier, using guns to try and solve problems, which leads you back to think of the conversation they had that one night. The ending is bittersweet, makes you want to cry and smile. No words were necessary for this scene although you almost wish there were. The painful look in Eddie's eyes and the understanding look in Roses' is enough.
This movie needs to be re-released because it didn't get the credit it deserved what so ever. The acting, even with the smaller characters, was top notch and both River and Lili gave so much dimension to the people they were playing. I love the naiveness of Rose's character, she is so aware but still so naive and hopeful.
All the movies i watched with River he always blew my mind at the potential. I believed he was those people, it's very rare for an actor to be able to play so many different types of characters without people comparing them. You forgot about him being River Phoenix you just thought of his character on screen.
I recommend this movie to everyone. It's a chick type of movie but I believe any guy would enjoy this as well due to the crude humor and such.
Movie Review: Takes Your Breath Away
Summary: 5 Stars
This film is one of my favorites. I have enjoyed a lot of River's roles but none like the lovesick marine he plays in Dogfight. He and Lili Taylor have excellent chemistry that makes this the perfect date film.The film starts with Eddie Birdlace AKA Birdlegs ( Phoenix ) reminiscing about the night before he left for the Vietnam war. We learn about his three marine friends who help him form the Four B's. The last night before they leave they embark on a traditional girl hunt called " Dogfight ". The object is to find the ugliest woman you can find and bring her to the marine's dance so she can be judged on. If your date is the ugliest, you win money. Sounds cruel? Well it is. Anyway, Eddie finds quiet, innocent slightly plump and unique-looking Rose ( Lili Taylor ) at her mother's diner. He's attracted to her singing more than her figure. He ropes her into accepting his invitation to the dogfight. Seeing how Rose doesn't have many dates she jumps at the chance to be with the handsome marine. At the dance Rose learns of the horrible reason Eddie invited her. Eddie makes it his mission of the night to apologize. By this time he really likes her. She allows him to take her for a night on the town in which the two fall hopelessly in love. They end the night very romantically and Eddie leaves to hook up with the other B's so they can leave for the war.
This movie is one of the most touching I have ever seen. It drug out many emotions. I was angry at how cruel Eddie could be, but at the same time I felt sorry for him. I realized he didn't know any better. The turning point was how Rose was able to show him that his faults may not have been visible as hers, but were actually worse. The acting was wonderful. Lili and River did a great job and they fit the parts beautifully. Taylor is always a breath of fresh air and is one of the most underrated film stars. This is another movie that saddens River fans because unfortunately he is no longer with us. Dogfight was River's best film in my opinion. It's a love story that tugs at your heart and opens your eyes. It's a film for everyone to enjoy. And for the record, Lili Taylor is prettier than most. The sad thing about this film is that " dogfights " are real. But this movie allows the culprits to see how their victims feel. Lili Taylor is a true winner in this one. Enjoy.
Movie Review: It just stays with you
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this movie for the second time yesterday when I saw it playing on the Indieplex channel. The first time was in 1992 or thereabouts when one of my parents rented the VHS. I was 12 at the time, and even at that age it resonated with me so much that when I saw it on TV I squealed "Ohmygoddogfight!" and quickly turned it on.
From start to finish this movie pulls you in and makes you feel for Rose and Eddie. The sweetness of their romance unfolds so realistically and so well that you forget you're watching a movie. The is due in large part to River's and Lili's stellar performances. There are so many times in other films when it's hard to see past the actor to the character they're portraying, but this is not one of those times. The sheer awkwardness of so many of their moments together; the reserved awe Rose feels at having Eddie beside her, mixed with her refusal to be a doormat; Eddie's constant visible disbelief at his growing feelings for a girl he originally picked as his date for the dogfight--the tone of this movie is so intimate that you are able to acknowledge and feel these emotions right along with the characters. This is not a cookie-cutter Hollywood romance in any way. Any man or woman could probably find something in the characters or story to identify with, which is where I think the real brilliance lies. It's just so REAL. Their time together is far from perfect, and yet it leaves a mark that lasts through a war and years with no contact between them. I think that is a perfect allegory for the film itself - sure, it has flaws, but once it was over I couldn't think of a single one. The feeling that lasted was something deeper and harder to define - just like Eddie and Rose's relationship.
Last but not least, the ending--I can definitely see how it's a love-or-hate-it kind of thing, although most of the film's fans tend to appreciate it. At first I thought it was a bit abrupt, but once I'd had time to digest what was going on, I appreciated it more and more. Words are never enough to really describe our emotions or the way we feel about those we love, and I think it would have brought the movie down to try and express the depth of what both characters were probably feeling at the time. I thought it was the perfect end to an unforgettable movie.
Movie Review: Fall in love all over again!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
WOW! I can't believe I've just seen this film for the first time. Where in the world was I when it was originally released in 1991? Under a rock? This is one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. The description may make this movie sound like a "chick flick," but it's really anything but that. Anyone who has ever felt the bittersweet rush of a love cut short due to bad timing can certainly relate to this movie.
I won't recount the plot, as many others have done that so well. I'll just say that I completely agree with the reviewer who describes this film as taking one's breath away. The almost constant poignancy of this film does just that. When Eddie (River Phoenix) and Rose (Lili Taylor) kiss for the first time, it's as if I am the one experiencing "butterflies." This is because DOGFIGHT is just so REAL, thanks to the perfect acting of Phoenix and Taylor and the director's thoughtful decisions regarding character and decade authenticity. River Phoenix hasn't been this beautiful since his Chris Chambers character in STAND BE ME. This movie is a testament to the fact that Phoenix no doubt would have continued his acting genius had his life not been cut short.
DOGFIGHT can't be categorized as a chick flick because it transcends the genre. This isn't your typical Julia Roberts or Meg Ryan love story which works only on one simplistic level. The plot isn't so simple as YOU'VE GOT MAIL, for instance. Instead, this story is meant to represent one glorious night in the lives of strangers turned friends turned lovers. While the night they share is probably meant to represent less than 10 hours, the movie is filmed in such a way that the viewer feels like he/she has shared that ENTIRE night with these two people. Thus, the viewer understands how one night can be so monumental. This feeling -- a feeling that the most important hours of one's life are crammed into one or two life-altering experiences -- is the same feeling I get when I watch SAY ANYTHING or BEFORE SUNRISE. Seriously, if you want to remember what it's like to experience love for the first time, go out and rent this movie. I plan to buy this one so I can watch it time after time.
Movie Review: Gem of a movie.....
Summary: 5 Stars
The premise sounds so cruel....a group of Marines each try to find the ugliest girl as a date for the dance, aka,"dogfight", and the one who's date is voted the ugliest (unbeknownst to the girls) wins the $50 prize money.
The story is about the two main characters, Eddie and his ugly date---Rose, on the last night before he and his buddies ship out to Viet Nam. I don't know how they were able to make this movie so touching, so human and so funny when the subject matter, on the surface, is so offensive. The scenes with Eddie's three best buddies are filled with youthful male humor---vulgar, crude and immature--- yet it rings so true and really is just plain hilarious. You love these guys. They don't know where they're going when they ship out, but they're together and nothing else matters. And the friendship that develops between Eddie and Rose also rings completely true.
I like the way the "ugly" girl turns out to be so witty and interesting and how the cute guy, over the course of the night, is so affected by her. The whole movie is just a wonderful surprise. From beginning to end. I still laugh whenever I think of one of the guys looking for ugly girls at the bus station and finding Miss Two Bears. This movie doesn't hit you over the head with anything and that's one of the best things about it...it unfolds gently, with humor and grace.