Year of the Dog
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Movie Reviews of Year of the Dog
Movie Review: A powerful tale of loss in the most unexpected of places...
Summary: 4 Stars
I remember when this little movie first came out and raves were circulating about Molly Shannon and her dynamic performance. I remember thinking that it must be a joke, a fluke review by some strange SNL fan. And then I read another review singling this particular performance out as one of the best of the year. Okay; another fluke? Not so fast, for next thing I knew I was reading review upon review of this little film with a big heart and a brilliant dramatic performance by one of the most outrageous comedic talents of our time (I say outrageous to mean not necessarily a good thing, since she is an acquired taste).
Even with all that, the reason I finally sat down to watch this film was because I absolutely adore Peter Sarsgaard, worship the ground that John C. Reilly acts on and Laura Dern's career is one that intrigues me and I really want to see more of her.
Regina King was total bonus points (I had no idea she was in this, but yeah for me because she is awesome).
So with such a stellar cast, I was beginning to get really excited as the opening credits continued to role and I was kicking myself for waiting so long to actually get down to watching this `black comedy'. Yes, it is dramatic but it has a sense of humor, a dry and realistic sense of humor that gives the film a little edge.
So, was the movie as good as I was led to believe?
Almost.
Truly, this is a delightful film and it has a pure message of humanity that runs throughout it. I was blown away by the way it actually made me think; and I wasn't really expecting anything profound to come out of this film. The film tells us of Peggy, a single middle-aged woman who has bonded ever so closely to her young dog Pencil. She has a very hard time interacting with other humans, but her passion for animals knows no boundaries. When Pencil is accidentally poisoned and killed Peggy goes through a very intense mourning process that forces her to make relationships with a few different people; her brother and her sister-in-law; a workmate; her neighbor and a fellow dog lover. Through these interactions she finds herself in a way that is both bizarre yet oddly fulfilling.
The acting is all top notch here, especially from Shannon who really needs to grace this territory more often. Her poignant delivery is chilling at times, but that adds to her character mental breakdown. John C. Reilly is always amazing, and here he builds on that character he does so well. Peter Sarsgaard is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors (Oscar, please grant him your glory soon) and this is just further proof that he really should be in EVERY movie. Regina King is a delightful mess as always and Laura Dern is calm and rigid and completely commanding.
My only complaint is the ending, which as I said is bizarre and oddly fulfilling. It is just not wholly fulfilling. It was that one point that fit yet didn't seem to fit, if that makes any sense. I can't hate it, and I understand it, but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I thought for sure that this film was going in a different direction. It's not a bad thing, and it is not something that everyone will have an issue with.
Regardless of the ending though, or your thoughts on it I should say, the film is still very satisfying. Great performances, truthful scripting and very thought provoking delivery make for a very unique and intriguing film experience.
Movie Review: Molly Shannon Shines in a Near-Perfect Comedy
Summary: 4 Stars
****1/2
You don't have to be an animal-lover to appreciate "Year of the Dog," one of the cleverest, wittiest and most endearing movies of 2007. Molly Shannon gives a tour-de-force performance as Peggy, a young Southern California woman who seems to have a much easier time relating to animals than she does to people. Peggy is batting close to zero when it comes to the men in her life, but at least she gets to go home every night to her beloved pooch, Pencil, who showers her with the kind of unwavering, unconditional love that, for some strange reason, only pets seem uniquely qualified to give. When the dog dies without warning, Peggy`s life at first goes into a tailspin, until some bizarre events and unforeseen encounters open up novel possibilities for her future.
As an actress, Shannon is clearly a master of the dead-pan expression, and writer/director Mike White takes full advantage of that talent, often aiming the camera directly into her face so that we can get the full benefit of her character's reactions. But this is far from a one-note performance. Through studious attention to detail and a gifted comedienne's natural appreciation for the ridiculous and the absurd, Shannon brings poignancy and depth to a character that could easily have become a caricature in less gifted hands (if there were any justice in this world, Shannon would receive a Best Actress nomination for this role).
White has written a screenplay that is as hilarious as it is touching, as silly as it is insightful. Peggy floats along through life asking little of the people around her, but once she achieves her animal-rights epiphany, there is no stopping her from making a 110% commitment to the cause. In her efforts to eradicate all animal suffering from the world - and expecting everyone else in her life to share that passion - she may be edging ever closer to the brink of madness, but, heck, at least she has a concrete purpose for her life.
The beauty of the film rests in its slightly off-kilter view of the world Peggy inhabits. For even though we may be tempted to question Peggy's mental health from time to time, she most certainly is not alone in having personal eccentricities and peculiarities. Her co-workers, her relatives, the big-game-hunting neighbor next door, the animal-rescue worker who's so turned off by humans that he has opted for a life of celibacy - all become part of the tapestry of bizarreness that White has woven for the film.
In terms of the acting, Shannon is only part of the story, for the film boasts one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in a movie in quite some time, with Regina King, Laura Dern, John C. Reilly and Peter Sarsgaard, among others, all turning in finely-tuned, delightful performances.
I'm sure that we have all known at least one person like Peggy in our lives, so I think that on some level just about everyone - canine-lover or not - can identify with this film. The nice thing about "Year of the Dog" is that it doesn't strip Peggy of her quixotic notions, but, instead, allows her to venture forth from her restrictive environment and to find her own little niche in the world. Peggy is one of those individuals who clearly marches to the tune of a different drummer, and "Year of the Dog" is a loving tribute to all such people.
Movie Review: Animal Rights Fanatic
Summary: 4 Stars
Two things about this film surprised me. First of all, the fact that it deals with a serious issue in an intelligent, sometimes comic and balanced way. When you think about it, this is quite unusual for a Hollywood movie, even an indie-style one like this. The other surprise for me was that I actually liked it better as it went on. Movies often start off with an interesting premise and then lose steam towards the end, if not in the middle. Year of the Dog, however, gained momentum as it went along. I think this is because it had the audacity to raise the stakes on the animal rights issue and end up in territory that was unsettling.
Molly Shannon, best known for her wacky characters on Saturday Night Live, plays Peggy, a single woman with an ordinary office job. Her closest companion is her dog Pencil. When Pencil dies suddenly, Peggy's life is thrown off balance and she gradually turns into an animal rights extremist. What is interesting is how the film traces her path down this unconventional road. We see how her loneliness, fondness for dogs and a certain lack of social graces combine to gradually turn Peggy into a fanatic. When she adopts a new dog, she befriends an employee at the shelter (Peter Sarsgaard), who also helps to convert her to veganism. When she becomes attracted to this man, he does not return the interest, telling her that he is celibate. This is an example of Peggy's lack of judgment; not to be politically incorrect, but this character immediately came across to me as gay, but Peggy does not notice this. She displays a similar lack of common sense when she takes her sister's children on a trip to a slaughterhouse to help convert them to her cause. As she becomes more extreme, she alienates everyone around her.
Finally, one incident proves to be the last straw for Peggy. Her new dog turns out to be vicious; after it kills another dog it is euthanized. She responds by "rescuing" fifteen dogs marked for death at the shelter. At this point, she quickly descends into a breakdown. The film ends on a courageously ambiguous note. Peggy does not so much recover from her madness (if that's what it is) as come to terms with it.
It would have been easier to simply satirize the extreme animal rights position, or to make us sympathize with it, but the film remains remarkably neutral. For example, at one point Peggy has an argument with her boss about animal experimentation. When she expresses her outrage, he makes the usual point that experimenting on animals saves lives. Both points of view are expressed, and we are left to decide for ourselves. Peggy's behavior is too bizarre to make her completely sympathetic. What the film does is suggest that we can respect her for sticking to her principles, whether we agree with her or not.
Movie Review: 3.75 stars -- trauma meets comedy, romance and violence
Summary: 4 Stars
Traumatic life events meet neuroses, comedy, satirism and violence in "Year of the Dog", a slice of life about a milquestoast secretary whose life changes dramatically after the unexpected death of a pet. Molly Shannon is often effective in the lead role as a mid-life woman whose beloved beagle, Pencil, dies unexpectedly from contact with poison. The subplots that develop from this premise are all based on what Molly does to fill the void that exists in her life after this unhappy departure. Her choices turn out to be a mixed batch, some good, some not so good, some tragic.
"Year of the Dog" itself is somewhat satirical, a wry poke at a time in a poor person's life when her world is shattered because of this loss. What she does to make up for this -- stealing money from work to dedicate it to animal causes, involving herself inappropriately in the lives of both her neice and best friend at work, investing herself in loser relationships with a new maladjusted dog expert and a new dog, and taking out her hidden rage on a neighbor she believes responsible for setting all these actions in place, is often funny, touching, ridiculous and 100 percent involving.
This film has little about it that seems to fit the standard for Hollywood. Just as it appears it's going to be a sad story turned into a new romance and happy ending, Molly's new boyfriend declares he can no longer see her because he doesn't like sex. When Molly then turns self-destructive on several levels, the film mimics what often happens in our lives when tragedy and bad luck take over our universes. She seeks way to punish herself and does so very well, engaging in antisocial activities that eventually get her fired from her job.
And this is the trademark of the film: "Year of the Dog" often portrays itself to be about a familiar landmark constructed in dozens of moves you've seen; and, just as soon as that begins, it turns 90 degrees left or right, sometimes moving forward in a way you might and often going askew to represent Molly's schizophrenic new outlook built around loss and the failure to correctly grieve.
If I've made out "Year of the Dog" to be something morose, serious or one of those blueblood films full of conflicted characters, it isn't. It is a small film with a great cast about living, loss, choices and consequences. It is funny while touching your emotions and engaging your pathos. Most of all, it's engaging through and through. If you've read this far and are still interested, I'm sure you're going to like this movie.
Movie Review: Bitter-sweet story.
Summary: 4 Stars
Molly Shannon (Peggy) is superb like an ordinary office employee who is not very popular but that kind of orderly, shy and sweet person who wears no fancy clothes. Even being welcomed during her usual visits by his brother's family, her snob sister-in-law, Laura Dern (Bret) has always some unpleasant comment about whatever she talks or brings home as a gift to the children. Her life companion is her dog Pensil. Animals teach a lot of things to human beings, such as friendship and love. An unfortunate happening occurs with Pensil and since this moment on Peggy has to deal with a strange neighbour who is her opposite as he a hunter, collecting a lot of weapons, mainly knives, a very interesting role played by John C. Reilly (Al). Later she knows a nice young man, Newt, played by Peter Sarsgaard who deals and trains abandoned dogs and helps Peggy to get another dog. She accepts and starts liking Newt who helps her training the dog. Some other scenes shows how people, in my opinion, should treat animals in general. Peggy gets so envolved in the subject about animals that she even becomes a vegetarian. I confess, people, I like animals, I have a lovely Black Labrador and several cats but I eat meat. I'm an hypocrite. I should be ashamed, but I believe many people do the same. Who knows I change some day... So, returning to the movie, she makes her niece, a child to think like her. What happens at her sister-in-law's home when Peggy offers to stay with the children, so the couple can leave during the New Year's eve, this is the funniest thing I saw in this movie.
I warn people who watch this movie as a comedy just because Molly Shannon is in there. It is a serious movie. And I liked it even though I cried some times. The conclusion is satisfactory, in my opinion, as Peggy got to do what would be from that moment on the most important thing in her life. I only give 4 stars as some scenes are really depressing, but some moments in real life are like this. And I am sure Mike White (director and writer) wanted us to see about it. Life is not only wine and roses...