Year of the Dog

Molly Shannon surprises with a beautifully understated performance
Molly Shannon has made a career out "crazy", so it's not surprising that she shines here as the reclusive Peggy, whose closest and dearest friend is her pet beagle, Pencil. First-time director Mike White shows us how close they are, and how codependent Peggy is: they have dinner together, watch TV together, and sleep together, Peggy cuddling and hugging Pencil to her much as she might a boyfriend or husband. Pencil doesn't seem to mind.

But then Pencil is ripped from her life. Having trespassed onto a neighbor's lawn (John C. Reilly), he is found one morning lying on his side, unresponsive. A terrified Peggy tears off to the veterinarian, but it's too late. He's gone. White handles this delicate scene well. Instead of force-feeding Peggy's loss to us with frolicking scenes of a happy Peggy and a bouncing waggily-tailed Pencil, he simply shows her sobbing in her car in the vet's parking lot. It's raw emotion, and Shannon delivers.

The loss unhinges her, and she...

A Very Good 'Year' For Shannon and White
Screenwriter Mike White's "Year of the Dog," which marks his directorial debut, was underappreciated during theatrical release last spring despite its being chockfull of wit, charm, intriguing characters and a fiercely original plot. Molly Shannon strays out of comedic bounds and nails the lead character of Peggy, proving she has a wealth of dramatic talent that has gone largely underused. Now on DVD, her performance is a grand revelation.

Peggy is a typical wallflower working in a typical office building as a typical secretary. In her early 40's, her social calendar is an arctic wilderness yet she is acquiescent, for her supreme pleasure in life is devotion to Pencil, her impossibly adorable pet beagle. Pencil dies in a needless accident, however, and Peggy is sent into a harrowing tailspin. The death of a house pet may not seem more like an unfortunate event than a grand trauma, but viewers with this mindset are in for a surprise - the realization of Pencil's death is...

absolutely wonderful !!!
i havent laughed so hard at anything since the in-laws the one w peter falk of course--- this is a satire-- so most people dont even get it---- this movie is brilliantly written directed cast and acted-- the art direction and photography- everything adding up to a pitch perfect scathing satire-- making fun of obsessed people, pet owners vegans bizness people people who cant find love accept thru their not always so domesticated pet animals-- but whats most amazing is how straight its played and how funny it is-- this is brilliant work by all-- molly shannon is a revelation to watch--- the close ups are all perfect and hysterical--- satires are what close on saturday night a famous theatre anecdote states-- satires are usually not understood apparently--they require a certain sophistication of thought/ understanding that seems apparently beyond most --certainly the reviews ive read all miss the whole point of this right on gem-----i`m eternally grateful that writers producers...

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