Man About Dog

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.

Brilliant movie. Cracker. If youre from northern ireland or ireland the slang is more understandable but all the other reviews on this site are probably from them yanks, big movie critiques. Honestly the best film ive watched in years.

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.

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.

The Irish director Paddy Breathnach has a keen visual sense and seems to me a born story-teller, (though he doesn't write his own material he shapes it in real cinematic terms). While "Man About Dog" isn't in the same class as his earlier "I went down", (that was written by the great young Irish playwright Conor McPherson), it is a highly engaging comedy road movie nevertheless. Allen Leech, Tom Murphy and Ciaran Nolan play three Belfast wide-boys on the make who inherit, lose and then re-inherit an extraordinary money-making greyhound called Ceberus. The plot is flimsy and one or two of the performances are shaky but the film has flash and a sense of energy. It is not strikingly original, (Breathnach borrows a bit too much from his better known American counterparts), but there is so much going on here and the lines have the poetry and raw humour of the vernacular, you are prepared to overlook the film's shortcomings. Give in and this is a comedy as robust as they come.