Year of the Dog (2007)

Molly Shannon plays Peggy -- one of those people who are "nice" but impossible to have any kind of meaningful conversation or relationship with because she's so busy being nice she's forgotten to come up with a personality. She's a giver, not a taker. She's a listener, not a talker. She's a doormat, not a person. I don't get people like that and I doubt seriously they get themselves.

The only time her blankly pleasant expression is replaced by a real one is when she's with her little beagle, Pencil. But Pencil accidentally eats some poison early on in the film and Peggy's grief is so all-encompassing that no one has the patience for it. Where can she turn? Well, another dog is the logical place.

This is one weird movie. I thought it was going to be a comedy with a cast I admire (Peter Sarsgaard! Laura Dern!), but it's an exercise in extreme uncomfortableness. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the acting -- it's almost too good. I mean, some of the scenes felt so real that I just wanted to get OUT of them. I'd hate these people in real life and spending film time with them was nearly as bad as being in an actual room with them.

I kind of liked where the movie wound up, but getting there was far from enjoyable. Also, I thought the ending was a little false. Did Peggy think she'd found her niche? Possibly...but I think the clear conclusion is that she fits nowhere.

C-