Dog Park

I thought that this movie was a bit far fetched, that it all fell together a bit to easily (as romantic comedies sometimes have a tendency to do). It's a little short on laughs, the emphasis is definitely on romance over comedy. However, Luke Wilson is, as always, charming, and overall the movie is an enjoyable, easy way to pass the time.

DOG PARK is a great concept with a decent cast and only fair execution. The characters are not likeable, not even the dogs. And the story is flat. It drags and skips and squirts. It's about as much dog dropping as it is fun. A few light moments, but mostly a yawn. Wait for the video.

Jeez, I think I saw a different movie. Let's see.....nope, it WAS "Dog Park."

Apparently we have a whole class of film students here who were given the assignment, "Pan a Film and Get Your Review Published" and IMDb was the only place that would put them in print.

Dog Park is fine. It's nice. It's even intriguing. Its humor is low key, except where it's laugh-out-loud, which was in several places when I saw it (25 yr. old black woman and 50 yr. old white guy, 15 rows apart, the only 2 in the theater; we laughed at different parts, but we laughed).

Luke Wilson is terrific, a curious blend of David Duchoveny and Bill Pullman. I'll go to his next movie. Natasha Henstridge can actually act! Brava!

OK, so it's not an Oscar contender. I go into a theater to enjoy a movie, not to trash it, and I enjoyed this one just fine.

I'm a big fan of The Kids In The Hall. I'm an even bigger fan of the "romantic comedy" genre. And, hell, sure, I like dogs, too.

However, while I loved watching the actors and actresses in "Dog Park" (great cast!), I had a problem watching the characters. More often than not, it seemed as if i was simpy observing people recite memorized lines they didn't really believe, while they moved from scene to scene without feeling or knowing why or how they got there.

Whether it was because of the writing, direction, or lack of focus, the movie itself, rather than the characters in it, ultimately seemed to have the biggest feeling of hesitancy and fear of commitment.

Andy (Luke Wilson) has just been dumped by his girlfriend. To add insult to injury, she took the dog as well. Andy, not used to being on his own, meets Lorna (Natasha Henstridge) in a bar and a few sparks fly. Yet, Lorna, who has recently lost her boyfriend as well, is not interested in starting anything new and rejects Andy's advances. Jeri (Janeane Garofalo), as Andy's close co-worker, arranges for him to participate in a bachelor auction. Unfortunately, Kieran, loose and crazy, bids for him and promptly moves in with him. Complicated? You bet! Oh, and everyone walks their dogs in the dog park and takes their canine friends to obedience school with the same dog psychologist. Will the doggies get their diplomas even as their mixed-up owners try to straighten out their lives?

This is, by no means, a successful romantic comedy. Instead, it falls into the category of an interesting also-ran. The main characters are appealing (Janeane Garofolo looks wonderful) but the plot's haphazard storyline is always throwing in more loose ends without connecting them in a logical fashion. The humor is not laugh-out-loud but rather mild and quirky. Fans of romantic comedies will probably stick this one out and enjoy it. Luke Wilson's ever-growing fan club will want to see it, also. All others will be less enchanted and find it a off-beat diversion with no memorable qualities.