Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Isbel A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Scott LeBrun Screenwriter and actor Mike White gives 'Saturday Night Live' alumni Molly Shannon an impressive starring showcase in this creditable filmmaking effort. Molly shines as Peggy, a secretary who gets along better with animals than she does with people. Her whole world is devastated when her beloved pet beagle Pencil is poisoned. Circumstances for her get more and more ridiculous as she begins to embrace veganism and animal rights activism, to the detriment of what few relationships she has with people.While it is understandable that we can lose some rooting interest for Peggy as she goes over the deep end, she's still a somewhat sympathetic and relatable character, at least for viewers who've never really "fit in". If you're going into this one blind, just be aware that it's more of a seriocomedy, with some rather dark elements, than a "girl and her dogs" laugh fest. As has been pointed out, the characters in this story that are the most compassionate about helping animals are shown to have some definite issues. Still, since they obviously have big hearts, one does hope for the best and hope that they get the help that they need.The acting is uniformly fine from a talented ensemble. Molly is well supported by Regina King, Laura Dern, Tom McCarthy, John C. Reilly, Josh Pais, and Peter Sarsgaard.While not all that realistic, this is a reasonably intriguing tale about one individuals' desperate need to find their purpose in life.Seven out of 10.

tieman64 Mike White's "Year of the Dog" stars Molly Shannon as Peggy, a frail, submissive, emotionally sensitive woman who spends her days taking abuse, being snidely judged and dutifully working at a dull, white collar job. Free time is spent cuddling with Pencil, Peggy's pet dog. The duo watch TV, eat microwave dinners and sleep together like a seasoned couple. Peggy's mocked by her coworkers, family, friends and boss. She takes it. Pencil doesn't judge her.When Pencil dies, Peggy traumatically confronts the fact that she has been pushed towards life's margins. Single, childless and "of a certain age", the dog's death sparks an existential crisis. Peggy responds by becoming increasingly neurotic. Realizing that society's apathy toward her dead pet masks a larger cruelty, a larger social violence, Peggy veers wildly in the opposite direction. She becomes an "animal lover" who "takes cares of animals". Later she funnels money from her company's business account into the accounts of various PETA-like charities. She also becomes a vegan. Mike White is himself a vegan and PETA activist.Far from a political tract, though, the film paints Peggy as a supremely messed up individual. This has led to animal lovers bashing White for painting animal lovers/vegans/PETA etc as nut-jobs who "love animals" because they "can't get along with humans". But "In The Year Of The Dog" is doing something completely different. This is Errol Morris territory, White painting everyone as being as neurotic as Peggy, be they overprotective parents, yuppies, work obsessed bosses, hunting fanatics, marriage-fixated dopes or lug-headed consumers. Everyone has their own obsession, their own symptoms. Indeed, Peggy's obsessions may even be less dead-ended, shallow and self obsessed than that of others in the film. But only marginally. While White spends most of the picture skewering the idea of "universal truths", "normalcy" and "mental health", he's also clear in his painting of Peggy as a highly messed up individual. The question the film asks is whether self-actualisation - Peggy's act of finally "becoming someone" and "asserting herself" - is itself a kind of hollow fiction; who you are is what you aren't, everyone is neurotic somewhere, all neuroses mask a desire for control, and what you do masks only what you can't. The Self is not only Other, but total damage. The film ends with Peggy boarding a giant bus packed with other animal lovers and activists. Her transformation into a radical is both mocked and celebrated. Once a doormat, she's now a warrior. Once a victim, she's now fighting back against a society that sweeps violence under a facade of kindness/normalcy. But Peggy's makeover is also something pathetic. She is who she is because she can't function any other way.8/10 – Worth one viewing.

kbdbabeb This movie goes absolutely nowhere in an hour and a half. No substance at all. Do you really think after making a movie like this and then watching it that everyone involved actually thought they made a decent movie. Blah! If i had paid for this I definitely would have asked for my money back.No imagination ruins this movie from the beginning. A dog dies and that is the most exciting part of the movie. Then you get watch an hour of mindless acting.Just when you thought something might happen that would add to the story it died just like the dog. How people can rate this movie high must have been high.

ripcurl7 I am a fan of funny movies, idie movies, even mumblecore movies....but this movie is terrible. Not one scene in this trash even amused me. How can anyone see this as funny?I suffered through this movie with 5 other friends. Not one person, one time laughed. I was embarrassed to have bought this movie to show to them. Comments on the film:"A happy go lucky woman who has many friends who appreciate her and a job that utilizes her skills. She Has a nice home and she has her beloved dog Pencil. Presently, she chooses to be single. Then something happens that sends her into the dog eat dog world of searching for love."really? is this for the right movie? *meh