Year of the Dog
by Mike White
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DVD details
Actor: John C. Reilly, Laura Dern, Molly Shannon, Peter Sarsgaard, Regina KingDirector: Mike White
Brand: Paramount
Producer: Mike White
Writer: Mike White
Producer: Ben LeClair
Producer: Brad Pitt
Producer: Dede Gardner
Producer: Jack Black
Producer: Nan Morales
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 97 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-08-28
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount
DVD Reviews of Year of the Dog
DVD Review: A 'must watch' for animal lovers!
Summary: 5 Stars
If you go above and beyond in your life for your pets, or animals in general; this movie is a must-see. Without fail, I cry every. single. time. I watch this movie.DVD Review: Great movie: Should have received Oscar consideration
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw the trailer for this movie on an old DVD recently and wondered, "Did this ever come out?" Sure enough, it had -- two years ago -- and I'd completely missed it. Huh. So I checked out the Amazon reviews, which were a "mixed bag" to say the least. Focusing on the 1-star reviews, you'll notice that half of them are from PETA members who say this movie is not for animal lovers, it's too cruel; and the other half from people convinced that it's a piece of "PETA propaganda" (exact phrase used more than once). Given these contradictory views among those who hated it, I figured it was probably a good film -- and I wasn't disappointed. In fact, this one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, with some of the most outstanding acting you'll ever see.
First, is the movie for animal lovers? Perhaps not. There are a lot of pet deaths that are pretty emotional for an average person (such as myself) -- I could see how they'd be traumatic to a real animal lover. And the movie also examines subjects such as animal testing, factory farming, etc. It isn't a pure comedy by any means, and could be too disturbing for some animal lovers, I guess. And, for any crazies out there, you might be offended by the portrayal of some obsessed pet owners that could hit too-close-to-home.
Secondly, is the movie "PETA propaganda"? Absolutely not! I do not agree with PETA in the least, being a pro-property rights libertarian, and I did not see this film as "PETA propaganda" in the least. For one, the hunter (played expertly as always by John C. Reilly) is in no way a villain -- unless solely being a hunter makes one a villain. He's a perfectly nice guy, and it is Molly Shannon's appraisal of him that's off-the-deep end. Furthermore, there is a scene when Molly Shannon is taking her niece to a factory farm and her niece says, "What would happen to all the animals if we didn't eat them," and Molly Shannon says, "Uh... I don't know." END SCENE. This isn't propaganda; it actually is a very even-handed appraisal of "animal rights" concerns. I'll add in that Molly Shannon's boss, a character who is thoroughly likable by the end of the film, dismisses her crusade against animal testing by saying, "This is how we make medical breakthroughs, we don't do it because it's fun." If this were PETA propaganda, then the boss and the hunter would be portrayed as evil and heartless, not as animal lovers themselves.
What this film is is an intense character study of an animal lover, as played by Molly Shannon. She should have received Oscar consideration. Regina King is also excellent as her friend, and Peter Sarsgaard is great as an asexual animal trainer and vegan. But the best performance of all is the understated role of Molly's boss, played by Josh Pais. His performance and the handling of this character in general were perfect. The movie itself may have been a box-office bomb, but it will be a cherished gem for true movie lovers to discover over the years and decades to come, and a towering triumph of creativity by all those involved in its making. 5 Stars!
DVD Review: loved this movie
Summary: 4 Stars
Molly Shannon was great. So real with a controversial topic. Funny and sad at the same time.DVD Review: Not to be confused with one of White's more commercial films
Summary: 3 Stars
Peggy's dog Pencil is her whole life, so when Pencil meets an untimely death, Peggy (Molly Shannon) finds herself lost and in need of a replacement for him. This leads to Peggy becoming involved with two men, Al (John C. Reilly), who collects knives and hunts for sport, and Newt (Peter Sarsgaard), an animal rights activist, and ultimately leads to her changing her whole outlook on life.
Writer/director Mike White's films can be divided into two categories: the commercial comedies (including "School of Rock" and "Dead Man on Campus"), and the not-for-everyone's-taste, independent movies that sit precariously on the borderline between comedy and drama (including "The Good Girl" and "Chuck and Buck"). "The Year of the Dog" falls very much into the latter category, so if you're considering watching this film based on the DVD cover claim "from the writer of "School of Rock"", then you might like to give it a bit more thought. The same applies to the cover claim that this film is "hilarious". It is a funny film in parts, but I would class it more as a drama than as a comedy and the humour is of a more adult style than in "School of Rock".
As with "The Good Girl" and "Chuck and Buck", White tells the story of an unusual person in an unusual and yet plausible situation. Peggy is unusual in her extreme devotion to animals, in particular her dog and the situation that she finds herself in after Pencil dies is not one that most people are likely to find themselves in, and yet, I could imagine someone like Peggy existing in the real world. Again, as with White's other movies, White doesn't provide any simple solutions to the problems Peggy faces. There is no Deus Ex Machina to save Peggy in the final act and for that I was disappointed (what can I say, I like happy endings), but also grateful because a Deus Ex Machina would have gone against everything White had set up in the previous acts.
Of White's independent films, "The Good Girl" is still my favourite, but "The Year of the Dog" comes in a close second, and if you are interested in seeing one of White's "other" movies then this wouldn't be a bad place to start.
DVD Review: Subtle and challenging...
Summary: 5 Stars
Subtle and challenging......so perhaps most people won't like it.
I know other vegans who feel that the movie doesn't portray vegans well. I think it is honest, interesting, and does retain the quirkiness expected of Mike White (while maintaining the sensitivity necessary to the appropriate treatment of the movie's themes).
Description of Year of the Dog
Molly Shannon plays Peggy, a happy-go-lucky secretary who is a great friend, employee, and sister living alone with her beloved dog Pencil. But when Pencil unexpectedly dies, Peggy must find meaning in her life. John C. Reilly, Peter Sarsgaard, Regina King and Laura Dern turn in great comic performances as the significant people in Peggy's life who give her ill-fitting advice.Molly Shannon gives a strange and strangely touching performance in Year of the Dog. A quiet secretary named Peggy (Shannon, Superstar, Good Boy!) goes into a tailspin when her beloved dog Pencil dies, leading her to flirt with dating, veganism, animal rights activism, and violence. But though the plot may sound shapeless, the movie is sharp and focused, cutting to the bone of every character's obsessions and neuroses. Yet, though extremely funny, Year of the Dog isn't strictly satirical--writer/director Mike White (writer of The Good Girl and Chuck & Buck) doesn't pass judgment on his characters, no matter how irrational or appalling their behavior may be. The movie has a cool empathy, a wistful yet unsparing glance at human weakness. The entire cast--which includes Laura Dern (We Don't Live Here Anymore), John C. Reilly (Boogie Nights), Regina King (Ray), and Peter Sarsgaard (Boys Don't Cry)--walk a fine line between painfully real and comically absurd. Fans of distinctive directors like Don Roos (The Opposite of Sex, Happy Endings) and Todd Solondz (Happiness, Storytelling) will enjoy Year of the Dog. --Bret Fetzer
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