D.C. MOVIE GUYS

“Year of the Dog” is the first film directed by screenwriter and actor Mike White.  Best known for scripting “The Good Girl” with Jennifer Aniston and “Chuck and Buck,” White’s new movie is an unusual mix of comedy and drama.  Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Molly Shannon stars as Peggy Spade, an administrative assistant to a results obsessed marketing executive.  Peggy’ life is slightly humdrum, but she’s happy.  Her favorite companion is her beagle, Pencil. They do just about everything together, including watching movies.

When Pencil unexpectedly leaves her life through unfortunate circumstances, Peggy’s emotional compass is thrown totally off.  She rejects offers of solace from friends and relatives, gets a new, troubled dog from a shelter and begins crusading for animal rights. Peggy begins to find out some new and surprising things about herself and the direction of her life as her first year without Pencil comes to a close.

White takes the road less traveled in this film.  His scenes have a slightly off beat feeling to them, lacking the neat, tried and true cliches of a typical Hollywood movie.  Shannon brinms a gentleness and decency to her role that keeps you rooting for her, even as she begins going to some extreme lengths to celebrate her love for animals.  The film’s supporting cast, which includes Laura Dern, John C. Reiley and Regina King, give performances that buoy the movie’s sly sense of humor.  White’s writing and Shannon’s acting skilfully explore and contrast how somen grieves and recovers after losing a human loved one with how deep that reaction can go when the loved one who’s died is an animal.

“Year ” won’t be every filmgoer’s bowl of kibble (so to speak,) but those willing to give it a chance will be rewarded with an unusual and amusing tale that will leave them with some food for thought.

MPAA RATING: PG-13 for profanity, mild violence and sexual content.
JOE’S RATING:THREE STARS.

Related Reading:

Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film, Second Edition ( Set with DVD)

Film Art: An Introduction with Tutorial CD-ROM

The Fellowship of the Ring Movie Soundtrack Piano, Vocal, and Chords (The Lord of the Rings) (Pvg)

Short History of the Movies, A (10th Edition)

Understanding Movies Value Package (includes Filmmakers on Film (CD)) (9th Edition)