Must Love Dogs (2005)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Gary David Goldberg

Writers (WGA):

Claire Cook (novel)
Gary David Goldberg (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 July 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

The hardest trick is making them stay.

Plot:

A forty-something preschool teacher looks to the personals for a change of pace and a relationship, with hilarious results.

Plot Keywords:

Dog | Teacher | Love | Dating | Dog Park

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Diane Lane	...	Sarah Nolan
John Cusack	...	Jake
Elizabeth Perkins	...	Carol
Christopher Plummer	...	Bill
Dermot Mulroney	...	Bob
Stockard Channing	...	Dolly
Ali Hillis	...	Christine
Brad William Henke	...	Leo
Julie Gonzalo	...	June
Glenn Howerton	...	Michael
Ben Shenkman	...	Charlie
Jordana Spiro	...	Sherry
Kirk Trutner	...	Deli Guy
Victor Webster	...	Eric
Michael Spound	...	Marc

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Armenian

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:12A | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:Atp | Finland:S | Taiwan:PG-12 | Australia:M | Sweden:Btl | Czech Republic:12 | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:M | USA:PG-13 | UK:12A | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Singapore:PG (edited for re-rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (original rating) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch - 411 N. Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The dog "Mother Theresa" was played by two 6-month old Newfoundland puppies named Molly (who did most of the work) and Maeve (who performed the water scene). Director Gary David Goldberg adopted both puppies at the end of filming.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Jake commented that they would never remake Doctor Zhivago (1965), yet it was already remade in 2002 as a British mini-series and is currently being remade as a Russian mini-series.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Rebecca: The best place to meet a guy is at the supermarket. You don't need to waste a lot of time there, either. You see a guy holding a list, you know he's married. He's in the frozen food section carrying a small basket, he's single. I like to hang out by fruits and vegetables, there's a better chance of getting a guy who's healthy.

Movie Connections:

Features Giant (1956)

Soundtrack:

Excerpts from 'Dogs with Jobs' score

Just saw it and loved it

I read the reviews before I went (both pro and con), and I was reminded that often professional reviewers forget that movies are supposed to entertain, and this movie did this for me. Indeed, the familiar clichés that some of the critics derided are just what makes the movie a delightful diversion. Yes, it is much of what the reviewers said, but John Cusack and Diane Lane were just great to watch play their parts. Just because they've played these types of characters before doesn't mean that the movie is bad, to me it means that the characters they play so easily are enjoyable to watch. It was a people movie (no exploding cars, etc. although there are times I like that too). I particularly like romantic comedies, and I will buy this movie the day it comes out on DVD. I might even take a date to it before then. The heart of the characters (not the quirky details) are really worth the ticket.