Before leaving to fight in Vietnam, a group of teenagers play a game where they try to seduce the ugliest girl they can find.
Here are three streaming picks that capture the spirit of Christopher Nolan's mind-bending masterpiece in their own way.
Related News
-
Gravitas, Kamikaze Dogfight Ink Multi-Picture Output Deal; Ifp Going Virtual For Ifp Week; Utopia Re-Releasing ‘Rad’ – Film Briefs
27 May 2020 | Deadline -
10 Directors to Watch: Military Service Gave ‘Holler’ Helmer Nicole Riegel Tools to Lead
03 January 2020 | Variety -
Video: Bonnie Milligan and Natalie Walker Perform Their Long-Planned Show at 54 Below
12 September 2019 | BroadwayWorld.com
Keep up with all the biggest announcements and updates with IMDb's breaking news roundup of Comic-Con@Home 2020.
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Dogfight (1991)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
1 nomination.
See more awards »
Edit
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 |
Learn more
More Like This
Running on Empty
(1988)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Music
Director:
Sidney Lumet
Stars:
River Phoenix,
Christine Lahti,
Judd Hirsch
The Thing Called Love
(1993)
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Music
Director:
Peter Bogdanovich
Stars:
River Phoenix,
Samantha Mathis,
Dermot Mulroney
Little Nikita
(1988)
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Richard Benjamin
Stars:
Sidney Poitier,
River Phoenix,
Richard Jenkins
Silent Tongue
(1993)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Western
Director:
Sam Shepard
Stars:
Alan Bates,
Richard Harris,
River Phoenix
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
William Richert
Stars:
River Phoenix,
Ann Magnuson,
Meredith Salenger
I Love You to Death
(1990)
Comedy
|
Crime
Director:
Lawrence Kasdan
Stars:
Kevin Kline,
Tracey Ullman,
William Hurt
Dark Blood
(2012)
Thriller
Director:
George Sluizer
Stars:
River Phoenix,
Judy Davis,
Jonathan Pryce
My Own Private Idaho
(1991)
Drama
Director:
Gus Van Sant
Stars:
River Phoenix,
Keanu Reeves,
James Russo
Sneakers
(1992)
Comedy
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Phil Alden Robinson
Stars:
Robert Redford,
Dan Aykroyd,
Sidney Poitier
The Mosquito Coast
(1986)
Adventure
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Peter Weir
Stars:
Harrison Ford,
Helen Mirren,
River Phoenix
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Breaking the Girl
(Video 1992)
Short
|
Music
Director:
Stephane Sednaoui
Stars:
Anthony Kiedis,
Arik Marshall,
River Phoenix
Circle of Violence: A Family Drama
(TV Movie 1986)
Drama
Director:
David Greene
Stars:
Tuesday Weld,
Geraldine Fitzgerald,
Peter Bonerz
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (55) »
Storyline
In 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? Written by Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>
Plot Keywords:
toothless girl | feminist film | year 1963 | physical beauty as theme | john f. kennedy assassination |Taglines:
A love story. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for pervasive strong language and a sexual scene | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Did You Know?
Trivia
River Phoenix's marine haircut (called a "high-and-tight") was deemed so unflattering that Warner Bros. requested highlights be added to Phoenix's hair to soften the young actor's appearance. See more »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. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
4 October 1991 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Dogfight See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$18,736, 15 September 1991Gross USA:
$394,631Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$394,631Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Dogfight captures the feelings of the mid to late 1960's in San Francisco. It accurately shows the characteristics of young U.S. Marines destined for Vietnam. They are insensitive and cruel to the young women they invite to the 'Dogfight' because of their youth and the situation they find themselves in as G.I.'s. Being in the Air Force during this period I could relate to their crudeness as a posture taken by some young men as a defense against their environment. Being insensitive was a way to deal with their situation over which they had little control. The movie also accurately portrayed how young G.I.'s bond with other young guys who in civilian life they might not have bothered to befriend.
The love story involves a girl invited to the 'Dogfight' (a contest to see who could bring the ugliest girl) and the young Marine who brings her. She breaks through his shell of indifference and they become friends and lovers.
Lilly Taylor and River Phoenix are terrific. Their characters ring true and my wife and I cared very much about what happened to them.
Phoenix's return to S.F. after his tour in Vietnam was just as I experienced it. Although I was not returning from overseas when I returned the Bay Area in 1969, I discovered that the San Francisco of 1965 was totally gone and replaced with a foreign land.
'Dogfight' is accurately nostalgic for those of my generation and perhaps older. Younger viewers get to enjoy a truly good love story. They also get a glimpse of life as a young G.I. during that uniquely explosive period of change and social upheaval in America during the middle to late 1960's.