Great Film: Must Love Dogs
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.
Cast
- Bill played by Christopher Plummer
- Jake played by John Cusack
- Deli Guy played by Kirk Trutner
- Carol played by Elizabeth Perkins
- Sarah Nolan played by Diane Lane
- Charlie played by Ben Shenkman
- Dolly played by Stockard Channing
