In case you missed it … ‘Year of the Dog’

‘Year of the Dog’ is a semi-quirky comedy that’s both funny and also a touching story (although a bit on the dark side at times) about a reclusive woman named Peggy (Molly Shannon) who’s life consists of going to work and then going home to be with her beloved beagle, day after day. Everyone loves Peggy, but Peggy doesn’t understand how to integrate herself into normal human social situations. She treats her dog like her best friend and life companion, which inevitably makes life extremely difficult for Peggy to adapt and cope when her dog dies suddenly. As the time goes by while she mourns the death of her canine companion, Peggy begins to notice her life changing in unexpected ways, right before her eyes. She begins to take on a philosophy of animal rights and doing good, but it soon spirals out of control as she becomes obsessed with this new “passion” in life. Once things get completely out of control, Peggy finally realizes what she needs to do and makes the decision to turn a new leaf and wipe the slate clean, finding that she can live her life happily the way she wants without apologies.

The movie is written and directed by Mike White (writer, ‘The School of Rock’). This is a wonderful directorial debut for White, who’s writing I first became aware of when I saw ‘The Good Girl’ (2002) starring Jennifer Aniston and Jake Gyllenhaal, which is an awesome dark comedy. I look forward to seeing White’s next film. Molly Shannon is a lot of fun to watch. She delivers plenty of humor as the timid Peggy who cares for others and has lots of love to give, but just doesn’t know how to give it away. While her humor is spot on, Shannon still manages to capture the human side of her character and not turn the performance into just another silly Saturday Night Live gag-fest. ‘The Year of the Dog’ also stars John C. Reilly as Peggy’s next-door neighbor who she ends up blaming for her dog’s mysterious death by poisonous toxins. The film weaves in and out of light-hearted comedy and somewhat crazy antics by which Peggy ultimately learns the keys to living her life. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys the SNL players but can appreciate a more intelligent story than most SNL movies have to offer. I do not suggest this film to anyone who considers them die-hard supporters of PETA or those who can’t tolerate seeing depictions of dead dogs.