Filled with characters you've never seen or probably ever will see. Molly Shannon's character is touching and pathetic all at the same time. It's funny.
This one stayed with me, but I'm pretty split on it. So many great performances and moments, but left me a little meh overall. Not sure why I can't stop thinking about it, though, had to bump it from 2 stars to 2.5. Sarsgaard cracks me up, though.
I couldn't relate with the character. At all. Molly Shannon was good, but the character's actions was too much for me, even though the message was "do what you like and don't mind other people" in which I agree. Overall, a nice film if you are an animal enthusiast.
This is definitely my favorite movie of 2007. A wonderfully cute and sad movie about an animal enthusiast. Or I guess you could just say "dog-lover". Don't be fooled in to thinking this is your typical, slap-happy, Molly Shannon role. It is very much so dramatic, and depressing. The humor is very dry, and hard to find if you are looking too hard. This is not like anything you have seen from either director Mike White, or Molly Shannon, I can guarantee. You don't have to be an animal freak to enjoy this movie. But it does require a sort of appreciation for subtlety, which I am big on in movies. Please watch, let me know what you think!
It's a bit mediocre...but most animal lover will probably have a biased opinion about it. Dealing with some pretty intense situations it shows us that sometimes we have stand up...no matter what everyone else thinks of us.
Well what a strange film. It really is good. But a little confused in places. Being a dog owner myself and seeing a LOT of my dog in Pencil's character, this was a little heavy to watch in places.
An interesting film showcasing a woman's journey to discover what she finds important in life and to experience that to the full. Worth a watch - and if you are a pet owner - be prepared!
I loved Year of the Dog. Molly Shannon plays a young woman with a nice house, a good job as a administrative assistant and a dog. When her beloved pet dies unexpectantly, her life changes. Having recently lost a well loved pet of my own, I could identify Molly Shannon's character. I recommend this movie especially to those who love animals.
I enjoyed this movie, the ending actually surprised me. Molly Shannon does a great job in the lead role. This movie isn?t perfect but overall I would recommend it.
slight but sweet. Sarsgarrd and, especially, Reilly are underused but Shannon's curious, compellingly-expressive face carrys events along nicely enough.
An ineteresting if very generic film. These kind of films are sweet but the ones that are coming out now also make the audience look like idiots, making it sweet is good, but not if you have to tell jus it's sweet. IT was a nice movie, but it bordered on being pathetic almost. The love for this woman for her dogs was nice but sympathy just swings out of conrol at times. I'll have to think about this.
molly shannon, is exellent as a dog lover, who loses her pet dog, and cant handle situation, from here she gets involved with peter saarsgard, another dog lover, and che convinces her to get into dog adoption, from here she gets a new lease of life and a new respect for animal life, and developes strong feelings towards treatment of animals, through this, trying to deal with her sister, unsympathetic boss, best friend and next door neighbour, who may have had a hand in killing her pet dog, a simpathetic and honest look at owners and feeling tpowards there pet best friends, grief, death causes, and what close friends and colleges make of it, a great indie feel, so another great american indie, all cast are on fine form, including john c rley in a small role as unsimpathetic next door neighbour, quite sad at times too
This is totally the movie that sat in the back of the classroom gluing its hands to its face in elementary school, and then against all odds by the time it got to college it grew up and got oddly sexy and clever but still really awkward. Everyone knows someone like that. Actually, probably not, I'm just bullshitting this because I really don't have much to say about the movie. I liked it, I thought some parts were so cute they made me wanna shit and others were almost hilariously awkward, but I felt a little cold afterward. It is a very strongly-written movie dealing with a thin plot and flimsy characters.
Molly Shannon's great though. God knows why she lets herself fester in shit like Evan Almighty and Scary Movie 4 and the 5000 Christmas movies she's done when she clearly has talent. And how did I manage to rent two Peter Sarsgaard movies at the same time? That man is a fox, though. I'd watch him rescue animals, crack down on journalistic abuse, make a cheese sandwich...anything really.
Laura Dern was so hilarious! Her scenes were full of laughter. All the other characters however made me want to kill myself. I kept trying to force myself into feeling sympathy with Molly Shannon's character but I just couldn?t. She was horrible, I can?t stand people like her. I seriously felt like not watching it at some parts because the film was portraying the things she was doing as okay, but they weren?t, she shouldn?t have enforced her views onto anyone like that, especially children.
if you think that year of the dog is a sentimental romance movie than you should ask more people who've seen it. it would have been less dissapointing if they would have advertised the story about how molly shannon's character is failed by humanity and how she transforms into an out of control, radical animal rights activist. instead they present this warm love story that never happens. besides that it was a good enough movie. laura dern is really good as the obsessive suburban mother, and regina king is especially adorable. though over all the film woldn't have been as special without the quirky and sweet performance given by molly shannon. all around a really enjoyable film. not necessarily one of my favorites but one of the better films to come out this year.
A thoughtful, bittersweet, semi-satirical tragicomic. Sometimes a feel-good, others a feel-bad film, like pretty much everything Mike White has written, it works for its honesty and clever blend of the humorous and the sad. It's both a meditation on grief and the extremes that people sometimes go to in order to deal with a sudden tragedy and also a statement that substituting the love of animals is equal to or even greater than spending time with people, which is something I personally couldn't agree more.
A movie about finding your calling in life and acting upon it. It has a great message, but it was filled with so much PETA nonsense that it made me feel like sawing a pig in half with a chainsaw just so I could spite Molly Shannon's character. So she loves animals, we get it. Just because the main character is crazy doesn't mean we ought to be too.
This movie also committed the cardinal sin of underutilizing Peter Sarsgaard.
This movie was so disapointing. The previews were very decieving. I expected it to be a cute romantic comedy of some sort and instead it is nothing at all like that and is mostly about an animal rights crazed secluded woman.
This is the lowest rating this site would allow. This is a dud. The worse movie of the year. John C. Riely and Laura Dern were just taking a blank paycheck. This film does nothing more than serve the writer's political agenda. Acting in it is flat. The concept is ludicrous. I didn't laugh once. It's amazing what shlock gets made and what other stuff sits on a back burner.
Starts out warm and quirky but then gets really creepy really fast. The tone is a refreshing change from the typical dick joke ridden comedy with its unique brand of subtle and uncomfortable humor.
It also does a good job respecting the characters and leaving them to their quirks without making a joke out of them. Would have been a lot better if it stayed low key throughout the movie instead of trying to add substance in the last act, pretty much everything they tried to say with it was already said and better in other parts of the movie. Sort of a depressing way to end an otherwise lovable movie.
It's not that it's incompetant. I just don't feel like it was worth it. Molly Shannon does a respectable job, and John C. Riley has some funny moments. But it's all rather dull and it's always offputting when the character that's clearly designed for comic relief (Regina King) isn't being very funny...
I actually really liked this film. I love Molly Shannon, and it was nice to able to see her hold her own movie together without her usual persona. It takes a little while to get over the fact that although she looks like Mary Catherine Gallagher, she isn't, and once you've come to this realization you find that she really owns her part. Molly Shannon is no longer just superstar to me, this role has created just as deep and impression on me as anything in her past.
I do have some trouble with this film though. The message? There's nothing wrong with being a thoughtless pet obsessed maniac? I hate the whole "accept for who she is" ending. She attacked someone with a knife and was writing stolen donation checks from her boss. Not okay. Don't accept her.
Other than that, I was still really surprised at how much I liked this film. It's surprising to know that this was Mike White's first time as a director. He has a very individual comic style, which is very subtle and original. Another great thing about this film is the supporting cast. Every one of them is great, and their characters are so real and keenly observed. Very impressed.
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