Dogfight (1991)

1963, the night before the 18 years old "Birdlace" Eddie and his friends are shipped to Vietnam. They play a dirty game called 'Dogfight': all of them seek a woman for a party, and who ... See full summary »

Director:

Nancy Savoca

Writer:

Bob Comfort

Stars:

River Phoenix, Lili Taylor, Richard Panebianco

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
River Phoenix	...	Eddie Birdlace
Lili Taylor	...	Rose
Richard Panebianco	...	Berzin
Anthony Clark	...	Oakie
Mitchell Whitfield	...	Benjamin
Holly Near	...	Rose Sr.
Elizabeth Daily	...	Marcie (as E.G. Daily)
Sue Morales	...	Ruth Two Bears
Christina Mastin	...	Linda
Christopher Shaw	...	Donavin
John Lacy	...	Fector
Chris San Nicholas	...	Dogfight Buddy
Brian Gotta	...	Dogfight Marine
Peg Phillips	...	Older Cafe Customer
Neal Allen	...	Sgt. Judge

Storyline

1963, the night before the 18 years old "Birdlace" Eddie and his friends are shipped to Vietnam. They play a dirty game called 'Dogfight': all of them seek a woman for a party, and who finds the most ugly one, wins a prize. Eddie finds the lonesome pacifist Rose working in a coffee shop. She's happy to accompany him - but then she sees through the game. However by this time he already learned to like her, so he follows her home. Will he manage to win her heart despite their differences?

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Plot Keywords:

game | vietnam | chance meeting | bob dylan | hippie | 

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Taglines:

The rules of the dogfight were simple: Everyone puts in fifty bucks. And the guy with the ugliest "date" wins.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for pervasive strong language and a sexual scene

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 October 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Última Aposta

Filming Locations:

Gig Harbor, Washington, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$394,631 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

River Phoenix running down the street after he left Rose was the last scene shot and was not intended. It was added last minute when everyone noticed the skyline. River was told to run and didn't know why. He laughed through the whole scene because everyone yelled "Run River Run!"

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Goofs

The picture of American musician Bob Dylan that Rose points out to on her wall was taken in 1964, while the scene takes place in 1963.

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Quotes

Marcie: Only $50?
Berzin: Come on, Marcie! Cut me some slack, will you?
Marcie: Slack? No, you find slack in the dictionary between "shit" and "syphilis".

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Connections

Referenced in A Night in the Life of Vinyl Eddie (2007)

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Soundtracks

"PARTY LIGHTS"
Written by Claudine Clark
Published by Music Corporation of America, Inc.
Performed by Claudine Clark
Courtesy of Chancellor Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Celebrity Licensing Inc.

User Reviews

This movie rests in your heart

I first watched Dogfight as an 18yr teenager living on an army barracks in Australia it was a movie that I enjoyed and could relate to slightly, after knowing quite a few soldiers! But I came across the film once more, now years later and so it has both a sentimentality to it especially now as River isn't alive anymore and I'm not so young! This film is gentle and it is so real and the actors are magic on it, I believe in their characters and the characters all mean something special to me. Eddie Birdlace is just a version of so many young soldiers that join up and suddenly find themselves in a culture of bragging and shagging and the loyalty to their army buddies is fiercely upheld. I was also a chubby young girl who knew how it felt to be embarrassed when a group of army boys went by and would blush under their smirks so I definitely related to Rose as well, and it tugged on my heartstrings so much. THis movie touches my heart and I don't think you can ask much more of a movie than that.