Last night, I left the house fully intending to see the new Jamie Foxx movie “Stealth“. My ticket in fact says “Stealth” on it, but my gut instinct said “Must Love Dogs“. For once, I followed it and I couldn’t be happier about that choice.
Prior to leaving the house, I had read reviews on both movies by both critics and ordinary citizens. Based on those reviews, I didn’t have high hopes for “Must Love Dogs” but compared to the reviews for “Stealth”, I figured “Dogs” simply has to be the greatest movie of the year. It’s quite funny to be sitting in the movie theater making up your mind on which movie to see by checking reviews on my Internet enabled cell phone.
Right up front, by way of disclaimer, as anyone who knows me will attest, I am a huge John Cusack fan. I did, in fact, spend $$$ at Best Buy on several Cusack on-sale DVD’s Saturday to include Serendipity, Runaway Jury, Grosse Pointe Blank, Identity, High Fidelity, America’s Sweethearts, and Better Off Dead. They were out of “One Crazy Summer” John Cusack and I were born 27 days apart, and for whatever reason, out of all of Hollywood, I have always (with the exception of “Grifters”) identified with him as an actor.
I am also a huge fan of good romantic comedies much to the chagrin of those around me who prefer science-fiction or horror flicks.
Anyway, to get to the actual movie itself, “Must Love Dogs” follows the story of two recent divorcees who’re tending to broken hearts. One, Sarah (Diane Lane) being pushed into the Internet dating scene by a large, loving, and meddling Catholic family. The other, Jake (John Cusack), being thrust back onto the scene by a somewhat dubious and overbearing friend whose only real intent is to get his heartbroken friend laid.
In particular, Sarah’s family starts bringing over pictures of guys and trying to set her up on dates. When that fails, her sister (unbeknownst to Sarah) — played by Elizabeth Perkins — lists her profile on “perfectmatch.com” to include the phrase “must love dogs”. Meanwhile, Jake’s buddy keeps stumbling across Sarah’s profile while admittedly “surfing for porn” and assuming serendipity, he sets the two up for a date at the local dog park without even bothering to consult Jake. The trouble is, neither Jake nor Sarah actually own a dog. What ensues from that point is a hilarious, fun-filled romp filled with misunderstandings and laugh-out-loud moments that could actually happen in real life.
Outstanding performances by all, but I particularly enjoyed seeing Christopher Plummer playing Sarah’s philandering father Bill who (at age 71) is playing the Internet dating game and ends up dating three women who all show up for Christmas dinner simultaneously.
One line summary : If you are a “30-something”, are a sucker for good romantic comedy, and/or you like John Cusack or Diane Lane, this is very much a movie for you. If none of those apply, you might be better off with some other movie.
This will be a DVD purchase for me. Your mileage may vary.