FUR THE LOVE OF MAN’S BEST FRIEND
Every dog has its day in sentimental new tale
It doesn’t matter if you’re a wounded talk-show host like Elizabeth (Nina Dobrev), a manchild musician like Dax (Adam Pally) or an actual adolescent like pizza delivery boy Tyler (Finn Wolfhard) — to reach your full potential, what you need is a dog.
That’s the premise of Dog Days. And that’s pretty much it.
As director Ken Marino says himself in a promotional clip for the film, he’s not aiming for a grand “take away” — this is family entertainment, people.
There are some laughs. The lead actors here have all been capably funny in previous work. Tig Notaro delivers in her supporting role as an exorbitantly expensive dog (and human) therapist.
DOG DAYS
★★ out of 5
Cast: Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Finn Wolfhard
Director: Ken Marino
Duration: 1h52m
And while there are odd gaps (do LGBT Angelenos not love dogs as much as all the heteros in this movie?) the cast is commendably diverse and the plot lines nicely colour-blind.
But a film with this many plot lines can’t give any one of them much leash — and the actors are similarly limited. The female characters, in particular, seem to have only two personality types, too sweet or too needy.
Marino is adept at biting satire of all things Hollywood,
both in front of the camera (In a World...) and behind it (Burning Love). But this ensemble comedy is more of a tail wag at the foibles of its protagonists.
The dogs do their job, mind you. Not only do they facilitate the necessary meet-cutes, they get their humans walking, outside — in Los Angeles.