Jack the Dog

I saw this film because I was really sold on the description. I'm such a sucker. What starts out funny and light quickly dissolves into melodrama of the worst kind. (Did you see The Next Best Thing?) This is the director's self indulgent semi-autobiography. It has no depth. The sex scenes, though expectedly gratuitous, make the same statement over and over - Jack likes sex. They keep calling hottie Nestor Carbonell `Jack the Dog' long after we get the point. Nothing is funny. When Jack cries, you should feel for him, but all I could do was roll my eyes. I can't believe that this was only 85 minutes. It seemed much longer. A Swedish film I screened, The Restless, is everything this film is not.

The movie starts out as just sex sex sex. And more graphic sex. It leaps too quickly years ahead in Jack's story. But, when it slows, it becomes a heartfelt, meaningful, insightful look into Jack's life. And Jack typifies the husband/father of the 90's. There are a few storylines that seem to distract. But the feel and flavor are wonderful. The best performances are by the child in the film. Watch him in the future.

See Jack take pictures. See Jack bang a babe. See Jack with his mom. See Jack bang another babe. See Jack with his wife. See Jack bang another babe. See Jack get divorced. See Jack bang another babe. Etc. Etc.

"Jack the Dog" is a crisp, clean, slick shoot with solid performances. "Jack the Dog" is also naive, simple minded, and shows us nothing we haven't seen many times before. Oh, and BTW, the cute little novelties (euphemism for brain farts), such as flashing Estella's name on the screen when Jack can't remember it, only serve to remind us we're watching a movie. This flick deserves and E for effort, a P for promise, and a B for boring.

Not sure what I expected when I started watching this movie. But as the movie progressed it got more interesting. Jack like most guys is either with or wants to be with many ladies throughout his life. Most is for the physical but a child is produced by one relationship that eventually brings love, responsibility, and sense of purpose to Jack's life. It's kind of a Kramer vs. Kramer as the relationship develops with his child on one hand and his many sexual encounters continues unabated until his love and responsibility for his son override his desire to see still more women.

In the end his relationship with his parents which has been strained through most of his life gets comfortable as he see life more clearly as a responsible father.

Watch for some very good acting and the efficient way the movie is cut and the story told. My only real complaint is the sound quality was poor and I found it hard to understand the dialog at times. I had to back up the TIVO a number of times to listen to the missed dialog and a few times I was not able to understand what was being said.

This is one of those rare films that touch your funny-bone and your heart. It seems like a number of films (notably, 'About A Boy') have stolen from it, but that's probably the sincerest form of flattery. The acting is real and strong and the film-making is confident and innovative, though it's likely they had very little money as there are no dolly, crane, or steadicam shots. There are also an unbelievable number of attractive women in various stages of undress. Somehow this makes an interesting counterbalance to a show about divorce. The supporting players are all excellent. There are terrific cameos by Peter Coyote, Anthony Lapaglia, and Thomas Gibson. I very much liked the use of the black and white footage shot by the director, himself, in Paris. An added bonus for me was the soundtrack featuring two Bruce Springsteen songs which nicely compliment Pam Springsteen's black and white photographs. The original score by Christopher Franke is both stylish and moving.