Emily FinlayYear of the Dog
September 22nd 2008 03:05
Picture me at Blockbuster on a Friday night: I'm walking around the store, looking forward to a quiet night in with my cats, a glass of vino, my gluten-free pizza and some well chosen dvd's. I see Year of the Dog, and I think "Hey, I love Molly Shannon and I also love dogs, so this movie is going to be great!" Talk about assumption being the mother of all stuff ups. This movie was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooo crap that I can't even think of a more eloquent word that means crap. Ever watched a movie and resented that the two hours it took you to watch it are forever lost and will never be reclaimed? Uh huh, thanks to Year of the Dog, I know what that feels like. Let me explain.
First of all, put your hand up if you, like me, are sick and tired of how animal lovers are portrayed in films! (I'm putting my hands up now) Molly Shannon's attempt at acting in a dramatic role was an abomination to actors and film-making in general. Her depiction of a secretary who lives for her Beagal, Pencil, was amatuerish and insulting to those of us who choose to live our lives in canine, feline, bovine or whatever -ine company. She is a whinging, spineless twit, and the storyline is structured so that it hammers home the reason she is so dependant upon her dog is because she is socially retarded. I, along with my fellow dog-dwelling and cat-cohabiting friends are not losers who have to resort to spending time with our furry family because we have no human friends, so I take a massive amount of offence to how the main character was represented. Here is some sample dialogue:
Al: So, you ever been married?
Peggy: No. No... That I mean that I never, you know I guess I never... that... that... that never happened. But I think some people just aren't as... you know... I don't know. It's like that, I guess."
The grief that animal lovers feel when we lose a much cherished cat, dog, horse, fish or bird is something that can only really be understood by other animal lovers who have been through the same thing. Our human friends who refer to us endearingly as their "crazy cat lady friend" or however they are choosing to vocally belittle us today, seem to think it is something that will pass quickly, and that it's a grief that will not be felt as deeply as what you feel when you lose a human friend. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO BLOODY WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason I am now sitting on my high horse and somewhat preaching is because when Pencil unfortunately dies early on in the film, Ms Shannon's reaction is equal to that of someone who has just stubbed their toe on something. It made light of how deeply people feel the loss of a beloved pet, and it was almost like she was making a joke out of it. She is totally aware of the camera and makes sure that we can see just how hard she is acting at being sad.
Sadly, whatever positive messages that should have been the focal point of this horrendous film are lost in the unskillful and pitiful direction, and the craphouse acting. This film should have made people think about how they treat the world and all it's non-human inhabitants, but instead it was just a long Saturday Night Live skit with as much depth and meaning as a recently coughed up hairball.
IN CONCLUSION, I HATED THIS FILM AND IF I EVER MEET MIKE WHITE WHO WROTE AND DIRECTED IT, I WILL SLAP HIM IN THE FACE WITH A TROUT!
Please do not waste your money on this film. Even the bloopers were badly acted. Hmph.
Al: So, you ever been married?
Peggy: No. No... That I mean that I never, you know I guess I never... that... that... that never happened. But I think some people just aren't as... you know... I don't know. It's like that, I guess."
The grief that animal lovers feel when we lose a much cherished cat, dog, horse, fish or bird is something that can only really be understood by other animal lovers who have been through the same thing. Our human friends who refer to us endearingly as their "crazy cat lady friend" or however they are choosing to vocally belittle us today, seem to think it is something that will pass quickly, and that it's a grief that will not be felt as deeply as what you feel when you lose a human friend. WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO BLOODY WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason I am now sitting on my high horse and somewhat preaching is because when Pencil unfortunately dies early on in the film, Ms Shannon's reaction is equal to that of someone who has just stubbed their toe on something. It made light of how deeply people feel the loss of a beloved pet, and it was almost like she was making a joke out of it. She is totally aware of the camera and makes sure that we can see just how hard she is acting at being sad.
Sadly, whatever positive messages that should have been the focal point of this horrendous film are lost in the unskillful and pitiful direction, and the craphouse acting. This film should have made people think about how they treat the world and all it's non-human inhabitants, but instead it was just a long Saturday Night Live skit with as much depth and meaning as a recently coughed up hairball.
IN CONCLUSION, I HATED THIS FILM AND IF I EVER MEET MIKE WHITE WHO WROTE AND DIRECTED IT, I WILL SLAP HIM IN THE FACE WITH A TROUT!
Please do not waste your money on this film. Even the bloopers were badly acted. Hmph.
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Comment by Cass
Comment by JLaw
I like dogs as much as the next person, as long as that next person is not overly obsessive and dresses their dogs up in doll clothes. The main character of the movie is meant to be a lonely soul who has found comfort in the unassuming friendship of a dog.
The major complaint I have is that the movie goes nowhere. She does not become a better person, she does not move on from her loser life, she does not get over the death of her dog, and we are left with the same premise at the end of the film that we had going in. Nothing changes, we haven't learned anything, and we don't care about any of the characters--especially the main character.
And that, my friends, is why the movie sucks.