RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Found a Bug? Squash It! Report Bugs Here
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Dog Days
Dog Days

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Dog Days (2002)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
48 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:33

Fresh:16

Rotten:17

Average Rating:5.4/10

Consensus: A relentlessly disturbing, depressing work.

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: DOG DAYS is a scathing satire, exposing the ugly underbelly of contemporary suburban mores. It is the first dramatic feature of notorious documentarian Ulrich Seidl (ANIMAL LOVE). With a keen... DOG DAYS is a scathing satire, exposing the ugly underbelly of contemporary suburban mores. It is the first dramatic feature of notorious documentarian Ulrich Seidl (ANIMAL LOVE). With a keen visual sense and lacerating wit, Seidl weaves together the sordid tales of a large group of people in suburban Austria during a heat wave. There's the Greek divorced couple who continue to live together, miserable and haunted by the memory of their young daughter's death. There's the alarm system salesman who has to find a scapegoat when the cars in a housing complex that he has serviced are vandalized. There's the desperate older woman whose sadistic boyfriend brings a friend along to watch him humiliate her. There's the elderly control freak who weighs every item he's bought at the supermarket when he gets home. Tying them all together is Anna (Maria Hofstatter), who hitches rides to nowhere, verbally assaulting those who pick her up with a constant barrage of inane top ten lists, advertising jingles, and embarrassing personal questions. Seidl gets solid performances from his cast, many of whom are not professional actors. For those who can stomach it, he offers a compelling glimpse of hell on earth. This film was included in the 31st New Directors/New Films 2002 series presented by The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Department of Film and Media of The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. [More]

Starring: Maria Hofstatter, Christine Jirku, Victor Henneman, Georg Friedrich

Starring: Maria Hofstatter, Christine Jirku, Victor Henneman, Georg Friedrich, Alfred Mrva, Erich Finsches, Gerti Lehner, Franziska Weiss, Rene Wanko, Claudia Martini, Victor Rathbone

Director: Ulrich Seidl

Director: Ulrich Seidl
Screenwriter: Ulrich Seidl, Veronika Franz
Producer: Helmut Grasser, Philippe Bober

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Dog Days

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Missing ... is any real feeling of compassion towards these forlorn individuals, any sense of the humanity that lies beneath the grotesque façades.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/26/02
Tom Dawson
Tom Dawson
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
10/02/02
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
10/06/04
Sight and Sound
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

'People can be so cruel,' one character says after finding a poisoned animal. Judging by Dog Days, so can movie directors.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
01/09/04
Kevin Courrier
Kevin Courrier
Boxoffice Magazine

A long slog through the slough of despond.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
10/17/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A remarkable, deeply disturbing work by a brilliant filmmaker.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
02/04/04
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune

See it only if you're ready for a bumpy, sometimes nasty ride.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
08/21/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

Director Ulrich Seidl presents a mean spirited satire of Austrian suburbia in this ugly movie that is quite possibly the worst film (foreign or domestic) of 2003.

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
04/19/09
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

The land of Mozart seems now inhabited by looney tunes.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
08/13/03
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

A parade of sadism and misanthropy.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
12/04/03
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News

A loser in almost all respects, boasting a parade of nudity that you don't want to see, and over two hours of conversation yielding nothing of interest.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
11/16/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

Dark, probing, and truly disturbing, Seidl's astonishing feature debut explores angst, anomie, and alientaion in Vienna's upscale suburbs in visually audacious mode that goes beyond Todd Solondz and Todd Haynes.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
06/13/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Mosaic filmmaking at its most irresolute... [its few affecting] moments are antiseptic, sealed off from any larger relatable context or emotional arc.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Today | comment Comment
01/12/04
Brent Simon
Brent Simon
Entertainment Today

The film does generate a unique level of intensity, and even the most harrowing scenes contain grace and humour.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
03/13/02
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

This is one of those productions that is easier to admire than it is to like.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
11/08/03
Lewis Beale
Lewis Beale
Film Journal International

lewd and lurid

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/30/09
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

Ultimately lacking depth or resonance, Dog Days is willfully provocative, much like a small child performing outrageous acts just to get some attention.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/21/03
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Oddly compelling, disturbing -- some might say disturbed -- look at suburban life, Austrian style.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
01/29/04
Eric Harrison
Eric Harrison
Houston Chronicle
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by source; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
See All

More DVDs

Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
25% 25% Four Christmases
68% 68% Funny People
95% 95% Star Trek
14% 14% The Ugly Truth

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
32% 32% Terminator Salvation
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
86% 86% A Christmas Tale
60% 60% Paper Heart

More New Releases…

What’s Hot On RT

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

Twilight Saga: Eclipse

5 facts straight from the cast.

Disney Animation

Disney Animation

We chart the studio's classics.

Avatar

Avatar

An exclusive look at the human hardware.

Eric Bana

Eric Bana

The Star Trek star talks cars with RT.

Other News

  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tarantino Could Have Directed Green Lantern Source: MTV
13
  • Will Duvall be Gilliam's Don Quixote? Source: Collider.com
16
  • No Hobbit Until 2012? Source: The Wrap
21
  • Don't Hold Your Breath for Hancock 2 Source: HitFix
40
  • Peter Berg Talks Battleship Source: CHUD
2
  • Summit Ponders Twilight Finale Source: Variety
156
  • First Look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Source: USA Today
56
  • Jeremy Renner Talks Hawkeye Possibilities Source: Superhero Hype
14
  • Todd Phillips Talks The Hangover 2 Source: Entertainment Weekly
18
  • Tron Legacy Duo Heading into The Black Hole Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Ban Them All! 10 Infamously Controversial Movies
101
  • Friday Harvest: The Road, Avatar, and more!
96
  • Total Recall: Natalie Portman's Best Movies
55
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Vampires and Football Break Thanksgiving Records
38
  • Five Favorite Films with Jesse Ventura
35
  • Weekly Ketchup: Zombieland 2 in 3D?
28
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Terminator Salvation and a Smithsonian Battle
20
  • 10 Horrifically Profitable Films
18
  • 2010 Sundance Film Festival Lineup Announced
7
  • Duncan Jones Reteams With Kevin Spacey
5
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
11
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
21
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
22
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Dog Days at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Dog Days at AskMen

Fresh Links

Featured
RT on YouTube
RT on YouTube External Link

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

RT on Twitter
RT on Twitter External Link

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.