Lawn Dogs (1997)
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72% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(5,206 ratings)
A young girl finds friendship on the wrong side of the career tracks in this drama. Camelot Gardens is a "gated community" where wealthy people can purchase luxurious (if sterile) homes and a security force ensures that riffraff will be kept away from your door after nightfall. The… More A young girl finds friendship on the wrong side of the career tracks in this drama. Camelot Gardens is a "gated community" where wealthy people can purchase luxurious (if sterile) homes and a security force ensures that riffraff will be kept away from your door after nightfall. The Stockard family are new arrivals at Camelot Gardens; father Morton (Christopher McDonald) is a businessman who wants to go into politics, while mother Clare (Kathleen Quinlan) busies herself with affairs with younger men. Neither seems to have much time for their 10-year-old daughter Devon (Mischa Barton), who doesn't care for children her own age; Devon's uncle likes to entertain her with stories about a witch named Baba Yaga who lives in the forest, so one day she wanders into the nearby woods looking for Baba. Instead, she finds a trailer that's home to Trent (Sam Rockwell), a 20-something free spirit who scrapes together a living by mowing the lawns of Camelot Gardens. Devon and Trent both have physical and emotional scars to deal with, and they soon become friends and confidantes; however, Devon's parents become upset when they learn that their daughter's best friend is a grown man, particularly one who lives in a trailer and does lawn maintenance for a living. Lawn Dogs won awards at a number of international film festivals in 1997, including the Stockholm Film Festival, the Montreal World Film Festival, and the Catalonian International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- John Duigan
- Written By
- Naomi Wallace
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
- In Theaters
- May 18, 1998 Wide
- Studio
- Trimark
Critic Reviews
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Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
a minor classic - look for it!
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Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
While it's true that fairy tales paint good and evil in black and white, Wallace's story suffers from such a simplistic presentation.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...what really kills the movie and leaves it with an aftertaste worse than raw garlic, is the ethereal ending.
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Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
A smart and satirical look at suburban angst.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Vividly depicts the animosity of class warfare and the sad plight of those who dare to take a stand against conformity.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Sam Rockwell
as Trent Burns
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Christopher McDonald
as Morton Stockard
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Kathleen Quinlan
as Clare Stockard
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Bruce McGill
as Nash
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Mischa Barton
as Devon Stockard
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David Barry Gray
as Brett
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Eric Mabius
as Sean
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Tom Aldredge
as Jake
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Beth Grant
as Beth
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Angie Harmon
as Pam Gregory
- Miles Meehan
- José Orlando Araque

