Correndo pra Cachorro

No doubt Paddy Breathnach watched some Guy Ritchie. The style and storytelling is obviously the same. I don't mind this, since it's an excellent and above all very entertaining style of film-making. Obviously it's not as good as a Guy Ritchie movie of the same style but it's surely entertaining enough.

It's not as good since the comedy in the movie feels more forced and planned out, rather than that it's cleverly and subtle written throughout the story. The events happen as comical moments rather than just moments that happen to the main characters. But of course you should perhaps not compare this too much to a Guy Ritchie and more regard it as a movie on its own. After all, it's Irish and therefor has a totally different atmosphere and lingo as well. In that regard this movie is just simply a well made and definitely entertaining one.

But was dog racing the best backdrop and choice for the main story? I don't think so. Some sports are not really sports in my opinion and therefor couldn't care any less about the movie its plot. I also couldn't care too much for the movie it's main characters. The actors portraying them are obviously not amongst the most talented, though they do a fair enough job playing average, regular 'normal' persons.

So it's definitely a movie with some pluses and minuses. The style and fun in this movie is definitely good and makes this an enjoyable watch. I only wished the movie had picked another main-plot, to also make the movie more compelling and interesting and perhaps even a bit more exciting to watch. After all, with these kinds of movies involving 'sports' featuring an underdog, you already exactly know in advance how it's going to end.

A pleasant watch but unfortunately no more than that.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Well good harmless fun if you do not mind a lot of swearing (it is set in Ireland after all). This pleasant little film about three chancers acquiring a greyhound that they end up entering in Irelands biggest hare coursing festival is a well made piece of escapism from the humdrum of Belfast life. The film is well made running to a tight time scale with little to no wasted scenes, featuring good performances from a cast most of whom I was unfamiliar. Without ruining it for anyone this is the sort of film where you can see the end coming a mile off, but because of this fact it makes it harder for the director to entertain you which they manage with aplomb. Some viewers may have problems with the thick Irish accents but it is well worth persevering with.

A decent comedy following the misadventures of three young Belfast men who happen into the world of hare coursing.

Stylistically, this has the feel of a lot of British and Irish films of the past decade. It's aimed at the same market that made Trainspotting, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and Snatch such big hits. On a number of occasions I thought this was overdone; it seemed to be trying too hard to be Belfast's answer to those films. This would be forgivable from a new director but it's less understandable from Paddy Breathnach.

The acting is excellent. Allen Leech does a good northern accent, although it's not quite West Belfast. The storyline is entirely unbelievable, but I wasn't expecting realism!

6 out of 10 because it's funny in spots, but not THAT funny. I also think that to really appreciate it you have to have some interest in gambling in general, and gambling on dogs in particular. If, like me, you have neither, you'll probably find it a bit difficult to get into.

If you are easily offended by swearing then you might be advised to avoid this movie, but if you do, you will miss the funniest film to ever come out of Ireland.

'Man About Dog' is about three Belfast pals who acquire a greyhound, fall foul of a local bookie/gangster and head south to Clonmel for Ireland's biggest greyhound meeting. Along the way they have various hilarious adventures, including a bust up with a gang of Travellers and an encounter with a 'Viagra' type substance.

If you like dogs, watch it, if you enjoy a good laugh don't miss it. One of the funniest moments is where Gerry Adams replaces Queen Elizabeth on.............. Well, you'll just have to watch the movie to find the answer to that one.

It's clear from the off that this is not so much an homage to Guy Ritchie, as it is an opportunistic mugging amid a dearth of originality. It takes a bloke-ish topic - greyhound racing (I guess it was either that, boxing or poker) - and three laddish young Irish guys (Messrs Cocky, Unlucky and Peaceful...gosh), then drags the plot through a series of contrived encounters with the usual Guy Ritchie ensemble; bookies, tough gypsies, hard men, loose women etc. All with the cliched goal of ending up with a big bag of cash at the end of the movie. There's some pretence that this is about the love of dogs, but their violent deaths are used as a 'joke' so often that this flick is clearly confused about what message it wants to send.

Along the way, we are treated to droll scenes such as the lads getting involved in a fertility drug trial, with predictable consequences, and hooking up with three 'foreign birds' (because they're easy, right lads?). As per the rules for bloke films, women are only allowed as sex objects and don't get to speak more than a line or two. Long, inconsequential blather between the lads act as filler along the way until, finally, the director throws in a Trainspotting rip off as the Lock, Stock theft runs low on returns. Low brow, paint-by-numbers comedy for the Lad Bible crowd. But in Ireland.