This film was described to me as an exploration of one woman’s journey to self-discovery. And, while Year of the Dog’s slow pace makes this quirky, star-studded journey stretch out beyond its 97 minutes, Molly Shannon is the delightful bond that holds it together.
At the start of the film, Peggy is a secretary who’s not only stuck in a rut, she’s the sounding board for friends, family and coworkers as they seem to dump all their troubles at her feet and pick up the baskets of encouragement she constantly offers them. It’s easy to feel Peggy’s growing frustration as her own needs are ignored, whether through her own actions or the ones of those around her. Luckily she has an unconditional companion in her dog Pencil, who is always there to comfort and cuddle, no matter what happens.
Spoiler alert! If you’re a huge animal lover, you may want to save yourself the box of tissues and pick a film where people instead of pets pass away. After Pencil’s untimely demise, Peggy sees how most of the people around her viewed her dog—as a possession that can easily be replaced or forgotten. Feeling even lonelier than before, Peggy reaches out to two men who show her compassion upon discovering the loss of her dog: a gun-loving neighbour (John C. Reilly) and a sexually ambiguous dog trainer (Peter Sarsgaard), and both lead to bizarre results.
Shannon is also joined by the hilarious Laura Dern, who plays her controlling, fur-owning sister-in-law and Regina King, who racks up her zaniness to a new level to play Layla, Peggy’s desperate-to-get-married co-worker.
Year of the Dog explores what we are willing to do in order to feel needed, heard and to proceed down the path that works for us. While some of the steps Peggy took should be marked with a hugs “don’t try this at home” sticker, the fact that this woman stood by her beliefs despite it being unpopular is something worth celebrating.
Director: Mike White
Running time: 97 minutes
Rating: PG-13
A Paramount Vantage film
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