John Cusack gives the performance of his life in this top-class horror.
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08/31/07
Year of the Dog (2007)
69
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:96
Rotten:43
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Year of the Dog is a warm and quirky comedy that never condescends to its eccentric characters.
Theatrical Release:31-08-2007
Synopsis: Any dog-lover would be a fool to pass up this charming dark comedy from director/screenwriter/actor Mike White (THE GOOD GIRL, SCHOOL OF ROCK, CHUCK AND BUCK). Famous for her iconic portrayal of... [More]
Starring: Molly Shannon, Peter Sarsgaard, John C. Reilly, Regina King
Director: Mike White
Reviews for Year of the Dog
Oddball comedy about a lonely, dog-loving secretary, Peggy (played, with unsettling intensity, by Molly Shannon).
08/31/07
Shannon, a born comic sidekick, cannot carry the central role; disappointingly, the story sputters out into a sentimental finale.
08/31/07
Top CriticThough the film falters in terms of its lack of a streamlined narrative, there is no denying that it is packed to the rafters with meaty ideas and characters who are charged with a satisfying moral ambivalence.
08/31/07
Top CriticLoses its way, as if uncertain how to point out its moral and make us laugh at the same time.
08/31/07
With smashing performances and plenty of heart, it joins Bobcat Goldthwait’s recent Sleeping Dogs as a worthy addition to 2007’s woof-and-ready hall of fame.
08/31/07
The trailer suggests a cheery comedy but brace yourself for some darkness in this shaggy dog story.
09/22/07
Top CriticAs you would expect from a writer like Mike White, Year Of The Dog is a smartly scripted, darkly funny work. But from Molly Shannon's performance to White's own ability as a director of actors, there are plenty of pleasant surprises here.
08/31/07
Top CriticYear of the Dog isn't quite the comedy it's been marketed as, but there's still a lot to chew on here, notably Molly Shannon's performance as a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
08/31/07
The writer-director’s real talent is in showing that we’re all freaks and geeks in one way or another. It’s just that some of us are better at hiding it than others...
08/31/07
A bit of a dog's brunch.
08/31/07
Top CriticThis is a lovely little film about discovering your inner self, the passion that drives you, and then coming out with it.
08/31/07
White also appears to have lost his grip, taking wild stabs at comedy and tragedy and ending up with something that's fractured and fluffy, and definitely not as cute as it thinks it is.
08/31/07
Top CriticWhat may catch audiences unawares is how unexpectedly life-affirming this little film about pet death is.
09/22/07
Top CriticYou could see the film as the making of Crazy Dog Lady or as the story of a bereaved woman finding her true passion in life. Personally, I lean toward the former.
04/27/07
Much is said in little moments: The entire cast offers jots of humor and insight, from Reilly and Sarsgaard to Laura Dern as a spiny sister-in-law and Regina King as Layla, a vehemently supportive friend.
04/27/07
White is a clever writer, and many of his best lines will sneak up on you long after you leave the theater. There's a stealthy sweetness to the movie, a desire to understand those who go their own way, that would seem to be his ultimate aim.
04/12/07
Top CriticThe film is simply too inconsistent in its writing and inadequate in its playing to click with an audience, or even to click with itself.
04/30/07
Year of the Dog has a sweetly off-kilter quality about it, and it also lays claim to an additional virtue: It probably won't remind you of every other dog movie you've ever seen.
04/27/07
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04/28/07
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