Must Love Dogs (2005)

A forty-something preschool teacher looks to the personals for a change of pace and a relationship, with hilarious results.

Director:

Gary David Goldberg

Writers:

Claire Cook (novel), Gary David Goldberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Diane Lane, John Cusack, Elizabeth Perkins

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Diane Lane	...	Sarah Nolan
John Cusack	...	Jake
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Carol
Christopher Plummer	...	Bill
Dermot Mulroney	...	Bob
Stockard Channing	...	Dolly
Ali Hillis	...	Christine
Brad William Henke	...	Leo
Julie Gonzalo	...	June
Glenn Howerton	...	Michael
Ben Shenkman	...	Charlie
Jordana Spiro	...	Sherry
Kirk Trutner	...	Deli Guy
Victor Webster	...	Eric
Michael Spound	...	Marc

Storyline

Sarah Nolan, a recently divorced thirty-something year old, has a family that just can't help getting involved in her personal life, or lack there of. After her sister puts her profile on PerfectMatch.com, this preschool teacher goes on a number of outrageous and hilarious dates. But will she be able to find the one, who must love dogs?

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Plot Keywords:

dog | teacher | love | date | dating | 

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Taglines:

The hardest trick is making them stay.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Armenian

Release Date:

29 July 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frau mit Hund sucht Mann mit Herz

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$46,116 (South Africa) (4 November 2005)

Gross:

$431,860 (South Africa) (18 November 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Team Todd, Ubu Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The "sticks" that the kids hop through in the beginning of the movie is a traditional Filipino dance. Tinikling is a dance where the sticks actually open and close to the beat of the music and dancers step through them gracefully.

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Goofs

When Bobby joins the group and they sing "Come On, Get Happy", Bobby starts playing the piano while they're singing, but the instrument he's playing on is actually an organ and not a piano.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Rebecca: The best place to meet a guy is at the supermarket. You don't need to waste a lot of time there, either. You see a guy holding a list, you know he's married. He's in the frozen food section carrying a small basket, he's single. I like to hang out by fruits and vegetables, there's a better chance of getting a guy who's healthy.

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Crazy Credits

During the credits, two Newfoundlands are shown, with the following caption: "No animals were harmed during the filming of this movie. Though we were petted within an inch of our lives."

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Connections

References Beaches (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Don't It Feel Good"
Written by Angelo T. Petraglia and Stephanie Kay Bentley
Performed by Stephanie Bentley

User Reviews

Flawed, but enjoyable

John Cusack and Diane Lane, two of the most interesting actors working today, make this somewhat predictable romantic comedy work. They flesh out characters from a pretty weak script, and make you want to know those characters better.

This film is not rocket science, but if you expect to enjoy a bit of romantic fluff, you will not be disappointed. The only frustrating thing is knowing how much more both of these fine actors is capable of. Given a strong script and inventive director, can you imagine what a great film they could make together?

For this viewer, the weakest part of the script was the two-dimensional nature of some the supporting characters. For example, why would a sensitive, romantic boat builder like Jake have a strip-club-loving sleazy lawyer friend as his only male pal? And while the long suffering younger brother character is amusing and well acted, his wife is non-existent. Also, why would the father become a Lothario upon the death of his wife? If he was really a great guy, wouldn't he continue to act that way?

Also, the script never seems sure whether it wants Diane Lane's character to be comical or touching. The montage showing her entering computer dating with a gusto seemed forced - it aimed for a Bridget Jones type breeziness, but missed - and the singalong to the Partridge Family theme song scene was downright embarrassing. Thankfully Cusack was not subjected to that scene!

All in all, a good one to see if you love the leads, but don't expect belly laughs. It might leave you a little wistful for a romantic comedy as fresh as "Say Anything".... (sigh)