Dog Park

Plot synopsis:
The main character Andy is a writer of newspaper classified ads who has been going from relationship to relationship since eighth grade. He loses custody of his dog when his girlfriend, Cheryl, breaks up with him for another man. Andy then meets Lorna, a children's TV show host, but she is too obsessed with her own dog to commit to a relationship with anyone. She's also still hurt emotionally because her boyfriend Trevor, left her for Andy's ex, Cheryl.
Andy also has a fling with another woman, Keiran. Meanwhile, Cheryl takes Andy's dog to a psychiatrist, who tells her that her promiscuity is traumatizing the dog. While both Andy and Cheryl do their best to share custody, problems arise as Cheryl and Trevor break up and she tries to win Andy back unsuccessfully. Keiran figures out Jeri's boyfriend Jeff is having an affair. Lorna goes out with Trevor. It's not much of date, but he helps her out in a big way. Both Andy and Lorna have feelings for each other, but aren't sure how to follow through with it. Andy being with Kieran and Lorna being with Trevor help them come to a very important conclusion.

Tags: romantic

Review:
"Kids in the Dog Park" Canadian comedy.
"Dog Park" is a lukewarm, enjoyable, and critically condemned contemporary romantic comedy which is low on romance, has a quirky "Kids in the Hall" sense of humor (for obvious reasons), and spends most of its time looking at the foibles of relationships.
In addition, Bruce McCullough, from Kids in the Hall, who directed and wrote the film, somewhat underutilized himself in the movie.
He could have added some more hilarious moments for himself, but his Kids In the Hall partner Mark McKinney gets most of the laughs as a dog psychiatrist.
I appreciated that it seemed to be trying something new in the field of romantic comedy, and was less predictable than many similar films.
Well, here's your chance to put your money where your mouth is and support something a little bit different."Dog Park" had a few annoying "snotty chick" cliches, but not too many, nor too bad.
I think everyone could relate to, and benefit from, "Dog Park"'s exploration of the heart: its fear, courage, deadness, commitment and connection.
I thought that this movie was a bit far fetched, that it all fell together a bit to easily (as romantic comedies sometimes have a tendency to do).
However, Luke Wilson is, as always, charming, and overall the movie is an enjoyable, easy way to pass the time..
It was an interesting concept of people meeting at a dog park as they struggled to establish relationships.
My wife and I are regular dog park visitors, and we rented this movie purely on the title.
We hoped that Janeane Garofalo would be as good as she was in The Truth About Cats and Dogs.
My initial reaction to Dog Park was that it was a deeply personal film from a writer intent on conveying his own sense of loneliness and cynicism towards life and relationships -- accompanied by a glimmer of hope, conceded in a subtle connecting glance across a crowded park by the film's two protagonists.
Dog Park is a very smart film with a real, albeit subtle, depth, which is missed by most -- as evidenced in the majority of the user comments.
Close examination brings to mind another film, Medem's Los Amantes del Circulo Polar, and the provocative ideas it evoked about the circle of life, the role that coincidences play in that life, about fate, and pain, loneliness and the desire, ultimately, to find, and be loved by, that one special person.A chance meeting in a bar by two lonely people on the rebound, establishes what will constitute the film's love story.
Their meeting is awkward, and uncomfortable, and at least one of them is sure that they've seen the other before, somewhere, maybe "...at the dog park." They take some personal jabs at each other before the two settle into an introductory conversation and quickly realize that there is something surprisingly beautiful about that person sitting across from them.
Shot from high above the bathroom window, we watch as the two embrace each other, taking note that this is the last time they will grace the screen together for the good majority of the film.The guy is Andy, played by Luke Wilson, an endearing serial monogamist who has been stranded in one romantic relationship after another since the eighth grade, engaged in a sort-of quest for that one special person to share his life with.
He slowly discerns that his most recent 'bad date' might actually be that special person he has been seeking all his life, confiding to a friend about her, "Have you seen somebody in a certain light and you felt like you knew everything about them?" His corresponding love interest is Lorna, played by Natasha Henstridge, an equally endearing person who is so emotionally dented by one too many ugly break-ups that she can't even conceive of getting into another one.
She is clearly caught in a personal struggle between her protective instincts and her desire to be loved -- and stranded in her own loneliness.Along for the ride are several other characters, both human and canine, including Kathleen Robertson, Andy's ex, who has dumped him for a sex-obsessed loser, Gordon Currie, who just happened to be the fellow who dumped Lorna.
There's also Janeane Garofalo and Bruce McCullough, the seemingly perfect couple representing, at least for Andy, the ideal relationship he desperately longs for -- that is, until it begins unraveling in front of him.
With the film's progression, it becomes apparent that these characters are inexplicably linked together by chance, romance and an unwavering devotion to their dogs.Speaking of dogs, everybody in the film has one, or at least shares one, and all of them are seeking counsel from the local animal psychologist, Dr. Cavan, played by Mark McKinney, who plays the straight man to all the craziness going on around him.
McKinney's straight-laced, pseudo-analytical antics and inability to relate to other human beings, including his own children, provide some of the more hilarious moments.Cinematically, Dog Park walks the line between dark and quirky and completely hilarious.
McCullough seemed to have designed the plot around this weird 'life-is-cyclical' idea, mentioned before and evidenced numerous times throughout the film.
There's even a 'dating chain' which is elaborated upon by one of the characters, a sort-of celestial ecosystem that mathematically determines who does or doesn't find love.Bruce McCullough is a very talented director who had a lot to say with this, his first film, and in my opinion, he hit every note perfectly.
He understands that sometimes, really, all that is needed is that subtle adoring look across a park or a nervous smile exchanged in a crowded bar by two people who know they are meant for each other.
Dog Doo. Another cranked out, touchy feely, feel good, late nineties flick that's doesn't feel genuine, and at times, feels downright manipulative.
The cast is indeed attractive (Luke Wilson, Natasha Henstridge, Janeane Garofalo, Bruce McColluch, et al), and that is the only way this movie would have taken flight.
Mark McKinney, having before worked with Bruce McCulloch, is fluid in the movie, though odd at times.
However, this movie turns the term "romantic comedy" upside down.
With it's heart-warming moments, and also its moments of humor (most easily understood by a Kids in the Hall fan), this movie really tops the charts..
Please do a favor to yourself and don't watch this movie Dog Park.It's a shame see good actors and actrisses working together in a so inapropriatte theme.If you are very patient maybe you'll watch the movie until the end but if you're not give up!!!I gave up.
The story is completely stupid,there is this guy who never dates but oneday he meets Lorna(Henstridge) a beautifull and single woman.Then they go out at night and everything gets wrong.The bad thing of the movie is that dogs are the maincentral theme.The director add to the movie the most lunatic scenes with the animals,like:There is a dog named Moogley that goes to a shrink(!!!!)and he is in depression because he can't watch people having sex(!!!).Half of the movie is inside the shrink!
And, hell, sure, I like dogs, too.However, while I loved watching the actors and actresses in "Dog Park" (great cast!), I had a problem watching the characters.
More often than not, it seemed as if i was simpy observing people recite memorized lines they didn't really believe, while they moved from scene to scene without  feeling or knowing why or how they got there.Whether it was because of the writing, direction, or lack of focus, the movie itself, rather than the characters in it, ultimately seemed to have the biggest feeling of hesitancy and fear of commitment..
DOG PARK is a great concept with a decent cast and only fair execution.
With the possible exception of McKinney's lugubrious dog psychiatrist, there's nothing in the film that's even faintly funny, and it's certainly not insightful - the attempts to tap a vein of contemporary romantic wistfulness are particularly lame.
The most uniformly bland movie I've watched in ages (which, as the doting owner of a labrador retriever puppy and a regular visitor to the dog park, I was suckered into by the advertising)..
by Dane YoussefONCE-TIME "Kid-In-The-Hall "Bruce McCulloch has one good-as-gold nugget of an idea here.
Or really all that insightful.All throughout, McCulloch seems to lack the ability to write a decent romantic scene, a full-fledged written character or a line of dialouge that hears well.
It was so bad, I damn near expected this thing to have a laugh track.While many of these types exist out there in the world (the sad-sack jilted lover, the cynical sage advisors, the seemingly perfect couple, the superficial couple, the weird oddball, the nypho and the love-scorn pessimist), the movie takes these stock-types and injects no humanity into them whatsoever.
As been said by pretty much every other on the planet who saw this, the only performance, character and scene of fellow "Kids In The Hall" brethren Mark McKinney as Dr. Cavan, an insightful and bizarre dog psychiatrist.
No interesting people, philosophies about relationships or anything resembling a good movie-going experience.Now if you'll excuse me, as I write this, it's 7:30 on the dot.
Luke Wilson stars as a woebegone fellow who goes from one mating situation to another in DOG PARK.
Problem is, McCullough (also the film's writer/director) is cheating on her, which Wilson knows, much to his regret.
The whole thing comes to a head in the dog park.
It's about this guy Andy (luke wilson) and his girlfriend leaves him and takes his dog.
And Lornas friend is actually cheating this Andys friend Jerry's(Janean Garfolo) boyfriend Jeff (Bruce McCulloch).
Bruce McCulloch is really a good film maker, there are many aspects of this film that are so great!
It has a humanity to it that a lot of films lack, as well as some great comedy from a lot of the players.
I enjoyed this movie all the way through, and am not one who is into date films, but really a good movie..
I'm not normally a fan of romantic comedies, actually I despise most of them (especially if they involve Tom Hanks and/or Meg Ryan)...But I really liked this movie ...
the fact that I'm a big dog fan helps, but the storyline was pretty good too ...
I actually cared about some of the characters and the acting wasn't bad at all ...And it was funny at times ...
One thing that did annoy me a little was that it's completely unbelievable that a plain guy like Andy would be getting so much action (Cheryl, Lorna and the nutritionist all wanted him at some point of the film ...
An entertaining romantic comedy about a group of people who are very into their dogs.
Whoever cast this film also did a formidable job; Wilson, Garofalo, and Henstridge are fantastic.
I think the problem most people have had with this film is its lack of off-the-wall humor.
Since it was written and directed by an ex-kid in the hall, most were expecting "flying pig."  If you can get past the name-brand that is Bruce McCulloch you will be treated to an unusual and subtle romantic comedy.
I like Luke Wilson in general and I'm a Kids in the Hall fan so with Bruce McCulloch and Mark McKinney there was that element too.
An Unexpected romantic comedy from A Kid In The Hall.
I rented this movie because of its director, Bruce McCullah, a cast member of my favorite sketch comedy troupe, The Kids In The Hall.
The shrink in the film was fantastic, if you didnt like this movie, then you are probably slow witted, and just found out your wife cheated on you.
He, its like the movie, its just life..
Dog Park (1998) * 1/2 (out of 4) Andy (Luke Wilson) is a down on his luck, self described loser who has just lost his girlfriend to another man but to make matters worse she has taken the dog with her.
Andy doesn't understand why she would take the dog since she hated it so much but thankfully he's got a friend (Janeane Garofalo) to explain life and its problems to him.
In this time Andy starts dating a wild woman who wants nothing more than rough sex but he keeps thinking back to Lorna knowing that she's the right woman for him.
He keeps going to the dog park where he hopes to meet her again while at the same time hoping to get his beloved dog back.Dog Park is another film in a long line of movies that tries to get a message across about love but anyone who has had at least one date in their life will come away rolling their eyes in disbelief because the film is so incredibly bad that you can't help but be thankful this turkey only spent a few weeks in theaters after sitting on a shelf for over a year.
I'm a die-hard Woody Allen fan but I'm beginning to think he put a curse on the world because he's the reason so many bad films have been made because other's try to recreate what he does but usually falls flat on their faces.The films message is the typical one that if you keep trying you'll eventually find love yet the characters are so poor one doesn't have to wonder too hard why they can't keep a relationship going.
As with other films of its type, Dog Park features a loser guy, a loser woman and their wonderful friends who give wonderful advice yet the losers never seem to listen to them.
The first eighty-minutes of the movie features tears, heartache and dating but in the end we've seen this countless times before and we know how things will work out.
As I've said before I'm often curious if these type of films use the exact same story outline and only slightly change character's professions and the color of their hair.Luke Wilson gives a rather bland and completely forgettable performance, which isn't a good thing for your lead actor.
Harland Williams is the only bright spot in the cast but he's only here for a few minutes.This was written and directed by Bruce McCulloch from Kids in the Hall fame and he shows nothing original in either department.
The screenplay offers nothing new and nothing original so if you want to see a loser try to make a rebound then check out a Woody Allen film or just buy a dog to talk to.
A film about people who walk their dogs!?
Which doesn't matter, as the audience doesn't care about any of the characters anyways.If you love the Kids In The Hall (like I do), stay far away from this film.
ecetera, ecetera, ecetera - we've seen it all before - the only difference is a dog park instead of a singles bar and it's used sparingly and without any imagination.The cast is good but they don't have much to work with.
The various characters are set up to be interesting, but instead, we focus on the least interesting ones, and they all do NOTHING.No explanation is given for why Luke Wilson pines for Natasha Henstredge after she is incredibly mean to him early in the movie.
Perhaps it should've been a short film -- or maybe not a romantic comedy.
I hate to say it, but perhaps Bruce McCulloch should stick to what he's good at -- innovative COMEDY.
I like dogs and the Kids in the hall, but....
A guy falls for a girl in a dog park..
The problem with Dog Park is that it plays it too safe.
My girlfriend and I wanted to see this movie for months because (a) we like visiting dog parks, (b) we like Janeane Garofalo, and (c) we, okay, well, at least *I* like Kids In The Hall.We looked for it and looked for it at the Blockbusters in our neighborhood, and we just couldn't find it anywhere.
Mark McKinney's dog psychologist character would be funny in a 2 minute KITH sketch, but does not cut it as the only 'comic relief' in a 91 minute movie.Human beings simply do not communicate in this way.
The dogs get about 10 minutes of screen time, and none of them are particularly cute.A WASTE OF TIME, unless your life's goal is to see every movie Janeane Garofolo has ever been in.
Not everyone's going to enjoy this film; I could see where one might find it stilted or awkward or a little bland.This film is very - for lack of a better term - Bruce McCulloch.
The more left-of-center the film gets, the more successful it is.Mark McKinney is a standout; Luke Wilson is always engaging; Janeane Garofalo is underused.I'd probably feel a lot worse about it had I paid ten bucks to see it in a theater..
Originally not hoping for much from the directorial debut of a former Kid in the Hall, I was pleasantly surprised by this romantic comedy which, although quite formula, managed to overcome its genre restrictions with lively performances and a generally oddball atmosphere.
Despite the typical nineties sardonic-view-of-society undertones of the screenplay, the actual dog park elements are played out very well with a vibrant cast of characters, especially that of the hilarious McKinney.
Overall, "Dog Park" is a nice, cute change of pace from the tired romantic comedy format.
If you're looking for more comedy styling of Kids in the Hall, skip this film.
This film has wonderful acting by Luke Wilson, Janeane Garafalo, Natasha Henstridge, Bruce McCulloch, Kathleen Robertson, and Kristen Lehman.Even the cameo actors shine like diamonds in this piece.
Harland Williams as the quirky Cullum is a bright spot as an oddball date for lovelorn Lorna.Most of these damaged people own maladjusted dogs.