Year of the Dog (2007)

A secretary's life changes in unexpected ways after her dog dies.

Director:

Mike White

Writer:

Mike White

Stars:

Molly Shannon, John C. Reilly, Peter Sarsgaard

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Molly Shannon	...	Peggy
Laura Dern	...	Bret
Regina King	...	Layla
Tom McCarthy	...	Pier (as Thomas McCarthy)
Josh Pais	...	Robin
John C. Reilly	...	Al
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Newt
Amy Schlagel	...	Lissie
Zoe Schlagel	...	Lissie
Dale Godboldo	...	Don
Inara George	...	Holly
Liza Weil	...	Trishelle
Jon Shere	...	Pound Employee
Christy Moore	...	Al's Girlfriend (as Christy Lynn Moore)
Audrey Wasilewski	...	Audrey

Storyline

Peggy (Molly Shannon) is single, childless, in her forties, a lonely executive assistant in a friendly office. Her dog Pencil is the love of her life, and when he dies after eating some sort of toxin, Peggy's life spins out of her control: a friendly neighbor invites her for dinner; a friendly staff member at her vet's calls with an abused dog he recommends she adopt - she does, and also finds herself attracted to this fellow. She becomes a vegan, supports animal-rights causes, and embroils her brother's young children in these concerns. Saving dogs and other animals become such a passion that her mental health and her job may be in danger. Are regaining control and finding love beyond her reach?

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Plot Keywords:

american society for the prevention of cruelty to animals | dog | love | office | neighbor | 

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Taglines:

Has the world left you a stray?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive references

Did You Know?

Trivia

The screenplay for this movie was featured in the 2006 Blacklist; a list of the "most liked" unmade scripts of the year.

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Quotes

Robin: I mean, I know it's a lot of money to you, but, I mean... but you don't have my degrees.

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Connections

References Spider-Man 3 (2007)

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Soundtracks

Ciao Italia
Written by Gayle Ellett & Julien Desabrais
Performed by Studio Musicians

User Reviews

Sit. Stay (Home)

I thought I was going to see a funny movie. I came home feeling suicidal.

If I wanted to see a pathetic over-40 woman who has bad dates and lives alone with the pets she dotes on too much -- I woulda stayed home and stared in the mirror!

I thought: "I love Molly Shannon! She's so funny. And Mike White -- he wrote 'School of Rock'. This should be HILARIOUS!"

Wrong. This was just pathos, pathos, pathos.

Single gal is sad and pathetic at the beginning. Sad and pathetic in the middle, and to my mind, sad and pathetic at the end.

Molly is lovely and acts well, but VERY few laughs in the movie.

And if you think "I love dogs" -- don't see this cuz the dogs don't come out so well.

(Also -- No cute guys.)

Why do so many great comedy actors (Robin Williams, Jim Carrey) decide to suddenly turn dramatic? We don't need any more dramatic actors. They're a dime a dozen. What's RARE is someone who can make us laugh. And God knows, we all need it. (Esp. after seeing a movie like this!)

So Molly, get together with your funniest writer friends and write a comedy worthy of your talents. I really don't need to see you having a nervous breakdown again.

(And what is it with movies with "Dog" in the title? They're all about women who can't get a date. This one, "The Truth about Cats and Dogs", "Must Love Dogs", "Dog Park".)

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 May 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Year of the Dog

Filming Locations:

Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$108,223, 15 April 2007

Gross USA:

$1,540,141

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,606,237

Company Credits

Production Co:

Black & White Productions, Plan B Entertainment, Rip Cord Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1