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Dog Park (1998) More at IMDbPro »

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44 comments in total

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9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Human nature is going to the dogs, 4 August 2003
Author: Amy Adler from Toledo, Ohio

Andy (Luke Wilson) has just been dumped by his girlfriend. To add insult to injury, she took the dog as well. Andy, not used to being on his own, meets Lorna (Natasha Henstridge) in a bar and a few sparks fly. Yet, Lorna, who has recently lost her boyfriend as well, is not interested in starting anything new and rejects Andy's advances. Jeri (Janeane Garofalo), as Andy's close co-worker, arranges for him to participate in a bachelor auction. Unfortunately, Kieran, loose and crazy, bids for him and promptly moves in with him. Complicated? You bet! Oh, and everyone walks their dogs in the dog park and takes their canine friends to obedience school with the same dog psychologist. Will the doggies get their diplomas even as their mixed-up owners try to straighten out their lives?

This is, by no means, a successful romantic comedy. Instead, it falls into the category of an interesting also-ran. The main characters are appealing (Janeane Garofolo looks wonderful) but the plot's haphazard storyline is always throwing in more loose ends without connecting them in a logical fashion. The humor is not laugh-out-loud but rather mild and quirky. Fans of romantic comedies will probably stick this one out and enjoy it. Luke Wilson's ever-growing fan club will want to see it, also. All others will be less enchanted and find it a off-beat diversion with no memorable qualities.

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Unusual and charming. Explores the heart truthfully, 6 September 2000

Author: bopdog from Cardiff, Wales

I liked it a lot. It's about people, not things or action or plot. That's uncommon these days, and should be applauded and supported by movie goers. People complain about f/x flicks, big cash blockbusters, and formulaic "lowest common denominator" pop-trash movies. That's a noble sentiment, but why not walk that talk? Why not get out to the theaters and pay to SEE movies that attempt to break out of the pop-culture molds? One of the reasons f/x (etc.) movies are almost all Hollywood makes anymore is because that's mostly all you and I pay to see anymore. Well, here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is and support something a little bit different.

"Dog Park" had a few annoying "snotty chick" cliches, but not too many, nor too bad. Whether or not this movie represents real life or not, I cannot say. Whether or not a movie, any movie, even SHOULD represent real life--who knows that, either? But, if art, good or bad, is designed to evoke a certain feeling, and certain vibes, then this movie does that very well. The specific events may or may not be "accurate," but the vibe and the results are.

Minor flaws aside-- and they are mostly mere quibbles-- this is a bright, charming, thoughtful movie about contemporary people. I think everyone could relate to, and benefit from, "Dog Park"'s exploration of the heart: its fear, courage, deadness, commitment and connection. I gave this movie an 8 out of 10.

This

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Some of these reviewers should join Critics Anonymous, 30 September 1999
Author: SquirePM from Birmingham, Alabama

Jeez, I think I saw a different movie. Let's see.....nope, it WAS "Dog Park."

Apparently we have a whole class of film students here who were given the assignment, "Pan a Film and Get Your Review Published" and IMDb was the only place that would put them in print.

Dog Park is fine. It's nice. It's even intriguing. Its humor is low key, except where it's laugh-out-loud, which was in several places when I saw it (25 yr. old black woman and 50 yr. old white guy, 15 rows apart, the only 2 in the theater; we laughed at different parts, but we laughed).

Luke Wilson is terrific, a curious blend of David Duchoveny and Bill Pullman. I'll go to his next movie. Natasha Henstridge can actually act! Brava!

OK, so it's not an Oscar contender. I go into a theater to enjoy a movie, not to trash it, and I enjoyed this one just fine.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
enjoyable, even if a little mundane, 20 April 2002

Author: Allicatt39 (afj203@nyu.edu) from New York, NY

I thought that this movie was a bit far fetched, that it all fell together a bit to easily (as romantic comedies sometimes have a tendency to do). It's a little short on laughs, the emphasis is definitely on romance over comedy. However, Luke Wilson is, as always, charming, and overall the movie is an enjoyable, easy way to pass the time.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
"Kids in the Dog Park" Canadian comedy, 9 June 2001

Author: George Parker from Orange County, CA USA

"Dog Park" is a lukewarm, enjoyable, and critically condemned contemporary romantic comedy which is low on romance, has a quirky "Kids in the Hall" sense of humor (for obvious reasons), and spends most of its time looking at the foibles of relationships. An so-so watch for channel surfers in the mood some light off-the-wall comedy.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Odd but Pleasant, Worth the Rental, 12 November 2000

Author: noahk from Maryland

This is quite an odd film, but pleasant throughout due to the likeable actors and some laugh out loud moments. There are musings throughout about dating and love, none of which really hit the mark. The ending was somewhat unsatisfying, and loose ends weren't really tied up. In addition, Bruce McCullough, from Kids in the Hall, who directed and wrote the film, somewhat underutilized himself in the movie. He could have added some more hilarious moments for himself, but his Kids In the Hall partner Mark McKinney gets most of the laughs as a dog psychiatrist. I appreciated that it seemed to be trying something new in the field of romantic comedy, and was less predictable than many similar films. Overall, I did enjoy it and would say it is worth a rental, but I can't really justify giving it more than 6/10.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Dog Doo, 29 January 2001

Author: Mitch-38 from Houston, Texas

Another cranked out, touchy feely, feel good, late nineties flick that's doesn't feel genuine, and at times, feels downright manipulative. The cast is indeed attractive (Luke Wilson, Natasha Henstridge, Janeane Garofalo, Bruce McColluch, et al), and that is the only way this movie would have taken flight. That noticeable block of 90's shallowness aside, the story is simply and weakly scripted. Way too many situational contrivances clog the script, and do not suspend belief in the least. It also makes for rather predictable viewing, as well. You might need a scooper for this one.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
"Dog Park" no walk in the park, 23 September 2006

Author: vbasic from Cleveland Ohio

I wanted to like this movie. It was an interesting concept of people meeting at a dog park as they struggled to establish relationships. There was good comedic actors and cute pooches. But since it was supposed to be a romantic comedy, I didn't see much comedy and even less romance. All the characters were struggling and not having much enjoyment in their relationships. The actors Luke Wilson and Janeane Garofalo did their job OK but were working with weak material. None of it jelled and some of the characters such as the dog trainer sounded retarded. The dialog was wimpy and desperate at times. Sad. Lame. Lame. Lame.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Garofalo's Worst Film Ever!, 21 July 2002
Author: Bec (toejam@death-star.com) from Perth, Australia

What a bomb! One would find it very very difficult to view this entire film in one sitting. A humourless Garofalo makes it only bearable in one's quest that she might say something funny - Hope is lost by the film's end. What was she thinking!! ... A film about people who walk their dogs!? - WHY?

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
What a DOG!, 4 October 1999
Author: jwyatt from San Francisco

All you need to do is spell the title backwards and you know what you're getting into.

This movie is amazingly slow and lifeless. The various characters are set up to be interesting, but instead, we focus on the least interesting ones, and they all do NOTHING.

No explanation is given for why Luke Wilson pines for Natasha Henstredge after she is incredibly mean to him early in the movie. We are given no reason to root for him as he is established as an emotional loser, who dates just to date.

Everything about this movie sucks.

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