Year of the Dog
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Movie Reviews of Year of the Dog
Movie Review: Mixed feelings about the movie, not Molly Shannon
Summary: 3 Stars
I think Molly Shannon is one of the great SNL cast members of all time, and I have been very surprised at the relative lack of movies featuring her since she left the show. "Year of the Dog" is most recommendable primarily for the excellent performance Shannon delivers. Anyone expecting Mary Katherine Gallagher style zaniness might be disappointed - but anyone who appreciates the more subtle side to Shannon's comic brilliance will likely be very pleased. As an actress's showcase, the movie works extremely well.
Actually, the supporting cast turns in great work as well - so well, in fact, that when the 90 minute movie ended I felt myself wishing it had been the pilot episode for a TV series. While that is a great endorsement of the ensemble cast - it isn't as much so for the movie as a whole. I didn't really feel the emotional involvement I wanted the movie to create. The storytelling simply isn't very strong. That's not to say it's entirely poorly written - far from it, since there are some great character moments throughout. But I got the feeling that an hour and a half wasn't enough time to tell these character's stories.
Maybe what I'm trying to say is: the plot wasn't well developed. Something vital was lacking, even considering that ultimately the movie is a very low-key character piece. Wes Anderson might have better shaped the whole thing and given it more of a sense of completeness. But without a surer hand (I believe this was writer Mike White's directorial debut), I felt that there was too much left unsaid about these people - hence my feeling that it could have been a pilot for a great TV show.
Movie Review: Bittersweet story of a woman who loved (her dog) too much
Summary: 3 Stars
This is a somewhat dark comedy that raises the question how do you go on living when the one you love is gone. What makes the film unique is that the love in question is a dog. I have dogs and take care of them well, and can say that I love them, but I don't really know what it is like to love a dog like a child or like a genuine member of the family. My reaction to the death of a pet would be similar to the reactions of most of the characters in this film. To think: that is really awful, but that's life and I guess it's time to move on. This film did help me see a bit what it would be like for one who can't think that way. There are so many stories out there of individuals who can't see clear to living again after a loved one has died. Invariably there are conflicts and struggles and anger and when they begin to live again their life has changed pretty radically. As far as I can tell, the aim of this film is to tell a story like that with the loved one as a dog -- and the film is very successful in that. (This is, at bottom, a story of a woman in pain who is trying to "find herself," and while her love for animals is central to her story, animals do not figure in the story as characters. This is a human story). The lifestyle she comes to embrace is not conventional and may be unfamiliar to many but it is not unprecedented. I found this film, which I picked up on a whim, to be quite enjoyable: bittersweet, amusing without being laugh-out loud funny, and acutely observed. It's not a revelation, but was a pleasant surprise.Movie Review: Year of the Dog has no bite
Summary: 3 Stars
I rented this movie thinking it would be something more than it was and when it was over I just felt relieved. The plot is simple enough. Peggy Spade loses her beloved dog,Pencil, and has to cope with life afterwards. She puts her hopes into meeting a man to change her life, but is always disappointed. Then she discovers that she cares more about animals than people and joins groups like PETA. But she takes it a step too far. She almost becomes enraged and a little crazy with her new cause and goes WAY overboard. While I knew that this would be quirky and different I expected a romantic comedy. But maybe this movie was trying to go in another direction. But the direction it followed was uncomfortable and at times obsurd.
Her character takes a major turn toward crazy pretty darn fast and I found it unbelievable. Would you ever adopt 15 dogs in one day and just let them poop everywhere? Would you really start stealing from your boss in order to donate money to a rescue center? Or would you ever break into your neighbor's house and try to attack him because he is a hunter? Or could you ever take a little girl to a slaughter house? While some of these scenes started out funny they became just wierd and over dramatic. I am a zoologist and I love animals, but animal lovers are not crazy and this isn't a fair portrayl.
I didn't hate this movie but I wasn't moved by it. I liked the premise and the actors- I just don't think the script was that good. It is not a 'bad' movie- but it isn't worth a second viewing.
Movie Review: Surreal Comedy/Drama, Not for All Tastes...
Summary: 3 Stars
If you are a fan of "Saturday Night Live's" Molly Shannon, you'll find a lot to love in "Year of the Dog", as she is superb; but if you're looking for the 'feel-good' romantic comedy the film's trailer suggests, beware! This is black comedy, where the absurd dominates, and endings are bittersweet, at best.
Writer/director Mike White has a keen eye for both sides of the 'animal rights' issue, and succeeds in both sympathizing with and lampooning activists, through Shannon. A 40-something single career woman, Shannon aches for the love life she never had, devoting herself to her beloved dog, instead. When the dog is accidentally poisoned, she is thrust into a strange new world of less-than-satisfactory men (redneck neighbor John C. Reilly, and effeminate dog trainer Peter Sarsgaard), her overprotective and materialistic family (Thomas McCarthey and Laura Dern), and a world of animals desperately needing love and protection. In finding a new direction for her life, she goes WAY off the deep end, and while she ultimately follows her heart, the journey isn't the kind of 'by-the-numbers' formula viewers expecting romance would expect.
Shannon is remarkable, capturing both her character's humor and pain, and shows promise for a future of more dramatic roles. The rest of the cast is uniformly good, particularly Regina King as her sassy, if over-trusting best friend.
"Year of the Dog" will leave you either raving about it, or at it; but you won't leave it without an opinion!
Movie Review: interesting but not that funny
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased this movie after seeing previews for it on another DVD. The previews made it look like a funny movie about dating. It is really not that funny. The basic story is about a woman with no meaningful relationships beyond that with her beloved dog who struggles in life after her dog suddenly dies. During the movie she struggles with relationships with her male boss, her male neighbor, and a male friend she meets at the Humane society. Her biggest challenge is filling the void left in her heart after the loss of her dog.
I found the movie interesting and not boring. It is funny in spots but not as funny as it could have been. I am an animal lover, so I could identify with some of the emotion in the movie as could most anyone who has pets. The movie is worth renting, but I am not sure it is worth purchase.