Heavy Petting (2007)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Daniel P

  
  A much better than expected comedy romance, about a guy, a girl, and a dog, that doesn't stray into overly cute or cloying, and has interesting characters and good performances that make up for a slightly predictable storyline. Although, the "guy who hates dogs learns to… More
  A much better than expected comedy romance, about a guy, a girl, and a dog, that doesn't stray into overly cute or cloying, and has interesting characters and good performances that make up for a slightly predictable storyline. Although, the "guy who hates dogs learns to love dogs" plot does mix up the standard "boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back again" arc in an interesting way. I should address a bias here too; Brendan Hines is one of my personal heroes, and in my eyes can do no wrong. As Charlie, he makes for an extremely likeable lead - he doesn't ever stray into creepy territory (a la Jude Law in pretty much anything romantic), nor does he become bland, slushy, or annoying. Malin Akerman, as Daphne, is less successful and doesn't seem to have much of a flair for comedy - though to be fair her character is a little underwritten. Kevin Sussman's "<i>loveable loser shtick</i>" is a joy, and his scenes are fun without ever stealing the show from the leads. Presumably, <i>Heavy Petting</i> was made on a small budget, but this doesn't show in the direction or editing and even the soundtrack has some recognizable choices (The Magic Numbers, The Boy Least Likely To, Nada Surf). <i>Heavy Petting</i> wont set the world on fine or redefine romantic comedy, but it's still pretty damn good. And Brendan Hines is smokin' hot. <p><i>"That's not folk wisdom, that's communism!"</i><p>P.S. Yes, the DVD cover art is AWFUL. But this is a case where that old adage "never judge a book by its cover" rings true.