Car Dogs

I enjoyed this film. The story is more about relationships than the main plot which is about them trying to reach a quota of 300 car sales. There is some very good acting. The film looked professional even though it was mostly made by students. The flash back type bits made no sense and I think the film would have been better without. The ending also I think could have been slightly better.

Overall though this is a good drama and in my opinion better than many of the big budget Hollywood dramas.

There is some serious talent both on and behind the screen in this movie. A tale of a single day in the life of a large car dealership. The movie was made by Arizona State University teacher and students from the drama school. They have a bright future in the industry.

Patrick J. Adams plays Mark, the son of the dealership's owner. They have a seriously dysfunctional relationship and the father manipulates Mark by promising him his own dealership if he can sell 30 cars by the end of the day. The father has weaseled a deal with an investor to purchase another lot (the one he promises to Mark) but only if they can come up with the capital, which is why they need to sell so many cars. The conflict comes as Mark tries to juggle his marriage, his job, his friends and co-workers and his own soul in order to get the deal done so he can own his own lot and run it the way he wants, honestly.

Adams is great as Mark. I love his performance on Suits, and its good to see he has the talent to play other characters. George Lopez, Nia Vardolos, and Octavia Spencer (in a short cameo) are the heavyweight names in the cast. The others are new or up and comers who do a fantastic job portraying the chaos and pressure of selling cars.

The beauty of this film is that selling cars is just the MacGuffin. The real plot is Mark's conflict within himself to lose the battles (firing a friend, lying about payroll issues, etc) in order to win the war (getting his own dealership) which start to take their toll on him. His wife files for divorce, his employees start to question his leadership, his best friend starts to question Mark's honesty, and his dad taunts him cruelly throughout. How Mark handles these things professionally and with his eye on the goal, not the journey, is remarkable writing. Adams does a great job pulling off this nuanced character.

Some of the other reviewers have mentioned how realistic the movie portrayed car dealerships and selling cars. Again, you could have made this about selling tires or boats or electronic equipment and it would have not changed much. It was about one man standing by his principles while coming close to crossing the line.

I have spent the past 13 years in various roles in a car dealership. I love that this film didn't villify the people just because it was a car dealership movie. There are all kinds of people that work for a store and this does a great job of showing that. The salespeople who live paycheck to paycheck. The salespeople who are super competitive. A person who would say or do anything to make a sale happen. The eager new guy ready and excited that the sky is the limit for his new career. Then of course the high strung management under the gun to reach a goal at the end of the month.

Character deveolopment was a little thin, but the movie made great use of the time it did spend showing how life in a car dealership affects life outside of work as well. The acting was good, the continuity was a bit off, and the writing was inspired. I've watched it 3 times and love it each time.

Patrick J Adams deserves a bigger part of Hollywood. Hopefully since he is leaving Suits we will see him partake in a few large roles.

Any movie with George Lopez in it gets an automatic 1 Star. Shame on any director giving this fraud a job. George has been stealing money from producers for years. When are they going to learn he is talentless, unfunny and a waste of breath? Hopefully soon.

Just watched this on Netflix last night. I've spent over 12 years in the car business, and this movie is spot on. The shenanigans that you see play out here, are the same things I seen on a daily basis on the lot. Especially the way management talks to the staff as if they are worthless. It is a very dog eat dog business, that's not for everyone, and this movie captured it perfectly. If you're an old Car Dog, or a new one, you'll laugh your butt off at this movie, and point to several scenes and tell your family and friends, "see, that's exactly what happens!"