Year of the Dog (2007/I)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Mike White

Writer (WGA):

Mike White (written by)

Release Date:

31 August 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Has the world left you a stray?

Plot:

A secretary's life changes in unexpected ways after her dog dies.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Love | Vegan | Office | Neighbor

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 8	4:00 PM	SHOW
Sat. July 11	7:45 AM	SHOW
Thur. July 16	12:15 PM	SHOW

Cast

Molly Shannon	...	Peggy
Laura Dern	...	Bret
Regina King	...	Layla
Thomas McCarthy	...	Pier
Josh Pais	...	Robin
John C. Reilly	...	Al
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Newt
Amy Schlagel	...	Lissie
Zoe Schlagel	...	Lissie
Dale Godboldo	...	Don
Inara George	...	Holly
Liza Weil	...	Trishelle
Jon Shere	...	Pound Employee
Christy Moore	...	Al’s Girlfriend (as Christy Lynn Moore)
Audrey Wasilewski	...	Audrey

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive references.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | UK:PG | Ireland:PG | Singapore:PG | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/6 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Altadena, California, USA

Company:

Black & White Productions

Trivia:

The website where Molly makes her card is a real website for making greeting cards.

Quotes:

Newt: Animals are like people, they live for love.

Movie Connections:

References Mary Poppins (1964)

contradictory script

Persuaded by the positive comments here, I watched this one, thinking that it would be pleasantly escapist. Wrong! Does the film attempt to alert us to the plight of abandoned animals? If so, why does it select a radically unbalanced spokesperson to represent this view? She undercuts her message. Or, is the story the unbalanced woman herself? It can't be both. Anyone who has had dogs knows that you don't disturb them when they are eating dinner. Yet the dog-experienced character does precisely that and gets the expected result. So, even on smaller points, the movie undermines itself. Furthermore, is it only California that permits toxic materials to be used for rodent control? We can't do that where I live precisely because that stuff kills other animals too. So the film seemed ignorant on that point too, though I would accept correction on that point. An incoherent waste of time.