YEAR OF THE DOG / Mike White (2007)

April 20th, 2007 by Scott Marks

Year of the Dog (2007)

Directed by: Mike White

Written by: Mike White

Cast: Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, Regina King, Thomas McCarthy, Josh Pais, John C. Reilly, Peter Sarsgaard, Amy Schlagel, Zoe Schlagel, Dale Godboldo, Inara George, Liza Weil, Jon Shere, Christy Moore, Audrey Wasilewski

Aspect Ratio: 1.85 : 1

Genres: Drama

Running Time: 97 min.

Timing is everything. Has there ever been a better moment in history to release a film about a pet that accidentally dies from toxic poisoning?

Repetition is the key to Mike White’s “style” in this ponderous, unfunny compilation of actors, perfectly centered in the frame, directly addressing the camera. It’s like watching an hour-and-a-half of master shots.

Skit-TV star Molly Shannon stars as a Peggy, an office secretary who spends her day in a chokingly cute cubicle. With no lovers and barely any friends to occupy her life, Peggy throws all of her affection towards her pet Pencil.

Peggy worships her beagle and his sudden “murder” throws her into a tailspin. A lifelong animal lover, even I had to grimace when Peggy smells her dead dog’s clothes.

As if trying to avenge her pooch’s death, Peggy becomes a crazed Animal Rights advocate. She buys every mutt in the pound and it isn’t long before she’s living in the type of urine soaked conditions that would make Aunt Bee gag.

Her brother and sister-in-law (Thomas McCarthy and Laura Dern) are so wrapped up in their own one-dimensional suburban stereotypes they are incapable of understanding Peggy’s grief. Besides, the couple has a toddler and any talk of “d-e-a-t-h” around the house is strictly taboo.

As if the repetitive imagery wasn’t enough to turn me away, Peggy amounts to little more than a revolting cipher. She accidentally spies a co-worker’s boyfriend in mid-cheat. Instead of telling her colleague, she blackmails the beau into adopting a dog.

At a shelter, Peggy is rejected by Newt, a drippy, asexual employee (Peter Sarsgaard). After becoming a Vegan to emulate Newt, Peggy takes great comfort in the fact that she now has a label to describe her. The relationship never takes off and in order to get back at Newt, she fantasizes that he gets raped by two bull mastiffs.

After his genuinely disturbing debut screenplay Chuck and Buck, the oh-so delicate Mr. White hopped the Hollywood gravy train by writing the so-so School of Rock and the indefensible Nacho Libre. His directorial debut plays more like a Public Service Announcement for the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Never one to resist an easy out, Year of the Dog could very well become the dog of the year.

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