Jack the Dog

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.

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.

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.

I saw this movie at the Sundance Film Festival, and it move me to tears, not only during the screening, but for days afterwards. The film was deep and beautiful, and I enjoyed every moment of it. This is a poignant piece of a father's struggle to find what love means to him, a search which he completes not through his dog-like love of women, but for his son, a true and more mature love. Anyone who dislikes this film is simply too ignorant to comprehend its scope and depth. I thought it was well written, well directed, well produced, and the acting was top notch. I give it two thumbs way up.

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.