Mon chien stupide

If you enjoy French family drama (isn't there always?) , you'll enjoy this movie based on a novella ( My Dog Stupid) by American writer John Fante.

Far from being a comedy except for the antics of Stupide, a huge grey Neapolitan Mastiff.

The actor Yvan Attal plays an award winning writer with writer's block. And of course since it's French there is a long suffering wife played by Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Still an enjoyable movie if only because of the dog, Stupide.

Excellent film. Completely different from what I expected. Maybe hit too close to home. I was thinking comedy. It had very funny moments, but the overall film, was real life. Family. Expectations. Disappointments. Love.

I have to admit the beginning, well after the initial voice over, so the beginning as in the first real scene in the house, is quite something. Great dialog, super funny and it feels quite light. But as with life in general it does not stay that way. And by that I don't just mean the dialog but the mood and lightness the movie had at first - or seemed to have.

The acting is superb and the script/dialog throughout is quite something to behold. The relationships seem as realistic depicted as they can be. Even if you don't agree with one of the characters the motivations for their actions are clear cut. They all make sense. And in between all of them ... a dog. You might love that or hate it (I know one person who is not impressed with pets or animals at all - so no winning over for her) ... and that is before thinking about all the drama that lies within the movie

If you like french movies, you will like this one. It has a smart and funny dialog, mainly by the actor/director Yvan Attal. His wife (in the movie and in real life), actress Charlotte Gainsbourg, is a bit overly dramatic at the beginning but plays well the rest of the movie. The story in not plausible (a dog that settle at their home and likes to hump guys), but it did not bother me. The story is not original - a writer that has a writer's block and writes about his current situation; still, it interesting, how each chapter is about one of their kids or other family issues the writer experiences. The movie is a bit too long, feels a bit slow in the middle, but then, gets back on track. Good acting; good cinematography; good direction = an enjoyable movie.

I enjoyed this movie, but I do think it is geared toward middle age or older adults. There are some light hearted moments and a few moments that made me laugh a little. The scenes with the dog were good. I wouldn't truly call it a comedy and the drama wasn't too heavy(it didn't make me cry, cringe or cheer). I can see how some viewers found it boring, but I could understand where all the characters were coming from, and I also enjoyed a lot of the dialogue which made me enjoy the movie.