Baxter (1989)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Jérôme Boivin

Writers:

Jacques Audiard (writer)
Jérôme Boivin (writer)

Release Date:

18 January 1989 (France)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Beware of the dog who thinks

Plot:

Her daughter Florence gives Mrs. Deville bull-terrier Baxter as a surprise present. Although she's afraid of him...

Plot Keywords:

Baby | Old Man | Dog Actor | City Dump | Dog

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Lise Delamare	...	Madame Deville
Jean Mercure	...	Monsieur Cuzzo
Jacques Spiesser	...	Michel Ferrer
Catherine Ferran	...	Florence Morel
Jean-Paul Roussillon	...	Joseph Barsky
Sabrina Leurquin	...	Noelle
Daniel Rialet	...	Jean
Evelyne Didi	...	Marie Cuzzo
Rémy Carpentier	...	Roger Morel
Jany Gastaldi	...	Anne Ferrer
François Driancourt	...	Charles
Ève Ziberlin	...	Veronique
Malcom Scrannage	...	Jean-Jean
Léa Gabriele	...	Eva Braun
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Maxime Leroux	...	Baxter (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for some language, violent images and sexual content.

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Alicéléo

Movie Connections:

Featured in "John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You: Baxter (#1.4)" (????)

When Benji goes Bad

No one, human or otherwise will ever be as loyal and loving as a dog to his keeper. When you walk through the door after a day's work household members more than likely will greet you with a smile and civility if all is going well. If problems pre-exist then it can be a decidedly colder welcome. Not so with the worshipful family dog who lapses into a dance of euphoric hysteria upon your return. Whether away a few hours or a month the reaction never differentiates. Man's best friend is just that, unless of course your a thinking canine like Baxter.

An English pit bull terrier, Baxter is a pound dog that is first given to an old woman on the verge of dementia as a companion. It is a bad union since he craves discipline and leadership and finds it lacking in the senior whom he grows to dislike. Through tragic circumstance, (probably Baxter's fault) he is soon freed from this relationship and moves in with a young married couple. Their youth and energy seem a good fit for the happy Baxter until a "hairless monstrosity" (a baby)arrives and changes the dynamic. Baxter plots against it but is given away before any permanent harm is done. Now in the care of an adolescent boy who has a fascination with the cult of Nazism, Baxter feels he is on the right path. The boy is not affectionate to the dog but he has what Baxter desires, the ability to challenge and dominate him. If nothing else Baxter craves direction.

Baxter is no Benji. He is far more introspective than other dogs and a lot more self interested and predisposed to having the disposition of a cat whose independence he admires and hopes to have the chance to kill some day. He is not the ideal of trust and loyalty we expect from the domestic canine but his ruminations and view of the world are both grisly and darkly comic. He is both dangerous and lovable; after all he is a dog.

Co-writer and director Jerome Boiven moves Baxter along at a quick pace as the dog goes from owner to owner. Characters are well developed and their situations detailed in a way that allow the dog to more fully state his case and move within the various subplots with ease.

It may be disturbing and make some dog lovers growl but Baxter overall is a fresh, original and thought provoking work that deserves best of breed consideration.