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
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

Preschool teacher Sarah Nolan, divorced for eight months, is still grieving the end of her marriage. Although she didn't see it as being perfect, she probably would have stuck it out as what she saw as the "for better or worse" obligation of the wedding vows, that is if her ex-husband, Kevin, didn't end it for what ended up being leaving her for a younger woman. She is urged by her over-supportive family, comprised of her many siblings, their partners, and her widowed father, to get back into the dating scene, something she has been reluctant to do in not feeling ready. As such, her most proactive sister in the matter, Carol, sets her up on an Internet dating site. Within her less than prepared state, Sarah does go along with meeting men by the means offered to her. Beyond especially her female siblings, Sarah is given unique perspectives on the whole issue of dating and commitment by her father, Bill, who is exploring dating after losing who was the love of his life in Sarah's mother...

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Plot Keywords:

dating | dog | teacher | date | blind date | 

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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 [France] Warner Bros. [United States]

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 USA:

$12,855,321, 31 July 2005, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$43,894,863, 30 October 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

According to director Gary David Goldberg, he gave the script to John Cusack and encouraged him to change any of his character's dialogue to better suit him. Goldberg was surprised by Cusack's response, who later sent the director about 35 pages of new dialogue for his character.

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Goofs

When Sarah runs out of the shop where she's having a manicure, she has flip flops on and toe separators on her feet. After she talks to Jake and turns around to go back to finish her manicure, the separators are gone.

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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

Referenced in Ugly Americans: The Stalking Dead (2012)

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Soundtracks

The First Cut Is The Deepest
Written by Cat Stevens (as Yusuf Islam)
Performed by Sheryl Crow
Courtesy of A&M Records
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Not entirely a waste of $7, but...

This movie had all the ingredients necessary to be one of those romantic comedies that are also 'good' films. The cast is competent, the actors all likable. But unfortunately, the writing is sub par. It is almost embarrassing to watch Diane Lane (or any of the actresses playing her sisters) recite lines like '...boob shirt? Boob shirt?...I don't have any boob shirts..' or '...that is disturbing on so many levels...' and other trite and trendy phrases. While John Cusack escapes most of the embarrassment (he has the best lines, and the best performance), it is still a film beneath him.

The movie has too many false moments in it to be entirely enjoyed - the obligatory gay friend Diane has, and of course his drop dead gorgeous model-like boyfriend; the large Irish family that seems to drop their accents from scene to scene; the trailer-park girlfriend; Diane's scene where she just shows up at Cusack's home (how did she know where to go, and what was her hurry?); and of course the 'chase' scene at the end where of course she had to bring her dog. And for that matter, it wasn't even her dog so even the title does not entirely make sense.

It's a shame, because like I said, the cast is likable. Just goes to show you that without the right screenwriter, even strong players can come across as high school acting students.