The Dog Problem

My Grade:  A

I’m going to be honest.  If I wrote a review for every movie I see… well that would be A LOT.  So I usually only review the new movies that I see (the ones still in theaters).  For this film, however, I am making an exception for a few reasons.  First, it is a little known indie flick that I only heard of because I am a big fan of Giovanni Ribisi (Gone in 60 Seconds, Middle Men).  Second, it was listed as “dark humor” on Netflix and I am a sucker for a good dark comedy.  As a side note, if you like dark comedy like I do, see World’s Greatest Dad with Robin Williams… awesome film packed to the brim with witty irony.  But most importantly about The Dog Problem is that it is fantastic.

     

The entire cast is great.  Ribisi plays a depressed, lonely writer (cliché, I know) that goes to constant therapy for a whole year.  His therapist (Don Cheadle) kind of suggests that he get a pet.  Seems simple enough, right?  Wrong.  A slew of quirky and memorable characters turn up to cause problems for Ribisi and his dog.  The coolest character in the entire film, however, is the dog itself.  He doesn’t necessarily have a name, but he is a boy dog (as Ribisi continuously reminds people) and he wins the hearts of the characters and the audience alike.

     

I left out one character from the above paragraph because this very special character is played expertly by the writer and director of the film:  Scott Caan.  If you don’t know who Caan is, think back to the Ocean’s movies.  Remember the brothers that argue the entire time?  Well the skinnier one is Casey Affleck (who is great) and the shorter, more built one is Scott Caan.  I liked him in that well enough, and he is good (although I’m not a fan of his character) in Entourage seasons 7 and 8 but I never was a huge fan… I am now.  Not only does he play his character well in The Dog Problem, but he directs a hilarious, refreshingly original film, with witty dialogue, creative characters, and a lot more heart than expected.  It takes a while to find the heart in it, but once Ribisi and his stripper pal, played by the beautiful Lynn Collins, go on this particular car ride; they connect emotionally with each other and the audience.  We learn more about them in that car ride than you could learn about someone in 30 car rides.  

     

My only qualm with this film is that the story gets a little far fetched at times, but it is a comedy… so it’s allowed to.  Some aspects of the story are unrealistically quirky and strange, even in the world of the film.  One thing that is a bit unbelievable is how skilled Casper (Caan) is at picking up extraordinarily good looking women.  Although if I was writing and directing a film like this, I may write myself a role like that as well… a little ego booster.  The pacing is also a bit uneven.  There are sections with a lot of action and laughs, then huge periods of heavy exposition.  The exposition is delivered in such a way, though, as to not get overly boring.  

     

Overall, this film is a hidden gem.  You may not be a fan of indies, but the truth is that they tend to take more risks and, thus, are more creative and original than studio pictures.  Forget all the remakes, sequels, adaptations, and re-boots of Hollywood and go home, pop some kettle corn, and watch a good indie film (like The Dog Problem)… you won’t be disappointed.