Reviewed by Anna Krahn
Stars Molly Shannon, John C Reilly, Laura Dern,
Regina King, Thomas McCarthy,
Josh Pais, Peter Sarsgaard
Written by Mike White
Certification UK PG | US PG-13
Runtime 97 minutes
Directed by Mike White
Dog people are a funny bunch. They sometimes talk about their dogs as if they were children and say things like, “Oh you should have seen have seen Tiddles today, I threw a stick and he caught it ... it was soooo cute,” while everyone else puts on a strained smile and thinks, woo-hoo.
In Year of the Dog, Peggy (played by a brilliant Shannon) is the ultimate dog person. Peggy lives in her standard house, working in a standard administrative job. Always listening to and being supportive to her boss’s, her friend’s and her sister-in-law’s “problems”, Peggy is always there to say the right thing. Then she goes home to her loyal (and totally adorable) dog, Pencil. Her life is a comfortable and uncomplicated routine in which she loves her dog and he loves her in a comfortable and uncomplicated way. Then Pencil dies, that comfort is destroyed and her life becomes increasingly more and more complicated.
On the outside this is a film about a dog person losing their dog but there’s a lot more to this tragic comedy from writer and director White (writer of The Good Girl). With people having always disappointed Peggy, animals with their unconditional love are the only beings she can truly rely on; but when Pencil dies, Peggy doesn’t know what to feel and it is her journey of trying to find an outlet for all that love — from people to other animals — that is the real tragedy of the film.
But it’s not all sad. This is a tragic comedy after all and it is funny. What makes it funnier is you’ll laugh and then you’ll look around your seat to see if other people are laughing or if they’re looking at you in disgust because every time the film is funny you laugh and then feel a bit bad. Peggy’s colleague Layla (King) comes out with some fantastically un-PC comments and her oddball neighbour Al (Reilly) with a penchant for hunting also has some cracking one liners, my favourite being one about hunting endangered species so you can get one before they’re all gone. The characters are tightly written and brilliantly acted. Shannon gives a beautifully subtle performance and is supported by a cast who perform their stereotypical roles perfectly.
Despite the gags, this is not the feel-good movie the trailer may have led you to believe it is but as long as don't go in expecting a romantic comedy you'll love the film (if you're expecting a nice romcom you'll be very disappointed). The only real down point is the last part of the film lacks the charm of the earlier parts and the ending is weak leading to a slightly unsatisfying climax. Ultimately though, this is a film that will touch the hearts of both animal lovers and give non-animal lovers some (vegan) food for thought.