David O'ConnellYear of the Dog
December 1st 2008 04:44
Mike White’s 2007 film Year of the Dog, an offbeat black comedy/drama, bears the hallmarks of two of his earlier screenplays, Chuck and Buck (2000) and the superb Jennifer Aniston indie vehicle, The Good Girl (2002). Also responsible for The School of Rock and Nacho Libre, his characters normally don’t quite fit into what passes for 'normal' society, becoming frayed along its outer edges, and his directorial debut is no exception.
Molly Shannon’s Peggy Spade works in a menial secretarial job but lives vicariously through her beagle puppy, Pencil. Most people surround her like figures loosely assembled in a complicated dream that she can’t be bothered piecing together, even her best friend Layla (Regina King), and her obsessively overbearing brother Pier (Tom McCarthy) and his wife Bret (Laura Dern).
When her beloved dog strays one night into the backyard of a sleazy neighbour, Al (John C. Reilly) and is poisoned, she becomes inconsolable, left without an emotional connection to anything in her world.
Then she meets a man, Newt (Peter Sarsgaard), responsible for assigning homeless, doomed animals to foster homes. Her need for a companion of a distinctly un-human kind is rekindled, as well as the inconceivable – a human being she might actually have more in common with than anyone she’s ever known.
She soon becomes heavily influenced by Newt’s passions – animal rights, finding dogs new homes, maintaining a vegan diet - but disappointments of many kinds soon emerge from the burgeoning promise, causing her emotions to tip over into dangerous territory and a potential disaster or two.
The dark undercurrent is what separates this quirky character study from slipping off the radar; White’s writing comes from an interesting direction most of the time, the perfectly cast Shannon thriving as the socially awkward, unnatural beauty Peggy; the gifted comedic actress, with her Saturday Night Live roots and memorable lead turn in Superstar behind her, shows a talent for subtle dramatics with a diverse empathetic range, providing brutal honesty that never strays into mockery for the sake of cheap laughs.
There are heartbreaking moments like the death of Pencil and Peggy’s moment of stark honesty in admitting that human beings have always let her down, and so she simply expects nothing more in life. They may be seen as shamefully manipulative and bordering on melodrama, but White treads that fine line deftly with a purposeful awareness, and lacing his view of the world with otherwise dark undertones strengthens the film’s credibility.
Inside of Peggy there's a capacity to find love for something, even from the darkness of her lonely despair; for her it may be that only canines will ever be the recipients of what she legitimately has to offer, but with White’s assured direction, idiosyncratic viewpoint, and fine ensemble cast, all underlined by a refreshingly off-kilter Christophe Beck score, that’s a conclusion convincing enough to ensure that Year of the Dog is a rich comedic treat.
Molly Shannon’s Peggy Spade works in a menial secretarial job but lives vicariously through her beagle puppy, Pencil. Most people surround her like figures loosely assembled in a complicated dream that she can’t be bothered piecing together, even her best friend Layla (Regina King), and her obsessively overbearing brother Pier (Tom McCarthy) and his wife Bret (Laura Dern).
When her beloved dog strays one night into the backyard of a sleazy neighbour, Al (John C. Reilly) and is poisoned, she becomes inconsolable, left without an emotional connection to anything in her world.
Molly Shannon as Peggy Spade
Then she meets a man, Newt (Peter Sarsgaard), responsible for assigning homeless, doomed animals to foster homes. Her need for a companion of a distinctly un-human kind is rekindled, as well as the inconceivable – a human being she might actually have more in common with than anyone she’s ever known.
She soon becomes heavily influenced by Newt’s passions – animal rights, finding dogs new homes, maintaining a vegan diet - but disappointments of many kinds soon emerge from the burgeoning promise, causing her emotions to tip over into dangerous territory and a potential disaster or two.
The lonely Peggy clings to her beloved Pencil in an early scene.
The dark undercurrent is what separates this quirky character study from slipping off the radar; White’s writing comes from an interesting direction most of the time, the perfectly cast Shannon thriving as the socially awkward, unnatural beauty Peggy; the gifted comedic actress, with her Saturday Night Live roots and memorable lead turn in Superstar behind her, shows a talent for subtle dramatics with a diverse empathetic range, providing brutal honesty that never strays into mockery for the sake of cheap laughs.
Does Peggy have a shot at a different kind of love with Newt (Peter Sarsgaard)?
There are heartbreaking moments like the death of Pencil and Peggy’s moment of stark honesty in admitting that human beings have always let her down, and so she simply expects nothing more in life. They may be seen as shamefully manipulative and bordering on melodrama, but White treads that fine line deftly with a purposeful awareness, and lacing his view of the world with otherwise dark undertones strengthens the film’s credibility.
Inside of Peggy there's a capacity to find love for something, even from the darkness of her lonely despair; for her it may be that only canines will ever be the recipients of what she legitimately has to offer, but with White’s assured direction, idiosyncratic viewpoint, and fine ensemble cast, all underlined by a refreshingly off-kilter Christophe Beck score, that’s a conclusion convincing enough to ensure that Year of the Dog is a rich comedic treat.
Peggy's brother Pier (Tom McCarthy, also a director in his own right of the brilliant duo The Station Agent and The Visitor) and sister-in-law Bret (Laura Dern).
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Comment by Anonymous
A virginesque middle aged women sitting on a park bench dressed in white with a little pet dog. A girl whose 'circumstances' caused her to become depressed and question life.
The title of this mawkish little gem should read 'Settle Gretel and ditch the dildo & dog.'
Sorry Dave, I won't be rushing to check this one out.
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Thanks for stopping by.
Comment by MelGee
Anonynmous - if you can't be polite don't bother. Are you anonymous so that you can insult others without being identified?
Comment by Cibbuano
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Comment by David O'Connell
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Hey Cib, yes, Molly Shannon is excellent in this. I wouldn't touch her latest incarnation in Kath and Kim with a barge pole, but I always thought she was hilarious in Superstar which was an adaptation of a character she played on Saturday Night Live. She has an unusual look, that's for sure, especially for playing a straight dramatic role here with a dark comedic side to it. Maybe she's playing against type just enough, in a way, to make it work as well as it does.
Comment by Tracy
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