Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Melinda Page Hamilton, Bryce Johnson,
Colby French, Geoff Pierson, Jack Plotnick
Produced by Marty Pasetta Jr
Written by Bobcat Goldthwait
Certification US R | UK 18
Runtime 87 minutes
Directed by Bobcat Goldthwait
An 18 certificate in the UK? If there was ever a film to challenge the logic of the British Board of Film Censors, it’s that rating. The reason Sleeping Dogs gets that rating is down to one off-screen act, a bizarre moment of madness from Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton — best known as the psycho-nun from Desperate Housewives). Yes, the act is dredged over time and again, but for all its obvious depravity — and Bobcat Goldthwait’s film cheerily acknowledges that it’s just plain wrong — it’s not seen and is simply the plot device that drives this remarkably sweet, very poignant and highly amusing film forward.
The act — the studio has requested that details of it don’t creep into reviews, hence the vague comments — is Amy’s big secret. When her fiancé John (Bryce Johnson) starts discussing honesty and whether those about to commit should tell each other everything. Amy goes to tell him, but changes her mind and creates an alternative story. But the weight of what really happened preys on her mind until she finally snaps and explains. It’s a one-off thing, it’s never happened again, it was a moment of madness from years before — but it changes the way John and, ultimately, Amy’s family perceive this otherwise perfect fiancée. She’s intelligent, blonde, pretty, a teacher, yet one indiscretion shatters the illusion.
Sleeping Dogs, for all its controversy, is a simple, effective and charming study on the nature of truth, and the way that time can change that sense of perspective. Hamilton is terrific, funny and sympathetic, and while you won’t necessarily understand why she did what she did, it doesn’t necessarily colour your opinion of the character. Goldthwait’s direction is assured and he manages to get some original points across in what is, arguably, a pretty standard rom-com format. Apart from THAT moment, of course. There’s a lightness to the film that brings to mind the best of European cinema and is completely unexpected given Goldthwait’s background as the screeching Zed in the Police Academy movies. It won’t be for everyone, and it’s probably not the ideal first date movie either. But for those who don’t mind having their conventions challenged a little, Sleeping Dogs is a bizarre gem.