Monday 6 September 2010

Must Love Dogs (2005)

Tagline: The hardest trick is making them stay.
Cusack Plays: Jake, boat builder and recently divorced

So, this is the one I've been dreading, the one I felt like walking out of the cinema at. "If that dog jumps into the water, so help me god...." And I think I might have figured out why. Cusack must have had a tough 2004 becuase he seems to have aged considerably in this time. Or perhaps the film did not have good lighting (*grasps at straws*)

The story is that recently divorced Sarah (Diane Lane) is encouraged to start dating again by her big family, with her sister setting up an internet profile for her insisting potential dates "must love dogs". Through this she meets with fellow divorcee and boat builder (another one of those random movie careers), Jake whose friends are also encouraging him to get back out there.



Some problems I have with this film.
  • Talented actors, wasting themselves on a seriously sub par romantic comedy.
  • Sarah is a teacher so we get cute, no sorry, annoying children saying things like "Lord it's a gusher" when they get hit in the face in class.
  • A barrell of cheesy lines.
  • The cringeworthy scene where Sarah and Jake run all over town trying to find a shop selling condoms.
I just want to reach into the screen and drag Cusack away from all this. He sounds and looks fed up.

Can I find anything positive to say? Well it has an okay-ish soundtrack, and Christopher Plummer (Captain Von Trapp!) and Stockard Channing (Rizzo/Abby Bartlett!) are in it. Also, the main character has a great name.

Now I'm off to pretend that this film does not exist.

For a slightly more benevolent review, visit my fellow Cusack Challengee





4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the link! I have to admit, it seemed like JC didn't feel confident in this film, but I think Diane Lane managed to pull it out of shitsville into OKville. :) I'm proud of you for sticking with the list! I watched Tapeheads tonight (it's on BBC iPlayer at the mo) - I don't get it, it is absolutely awful! And John Cusack is clearly a 1980s Shia LaBeouf in it - or the other way round. :))

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  2. I will never forgive you for taking me to that movie, Sara.

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  3. Sorry m'darling.

    Tapeheads I didn't get either. And the 'tache. No no no no. Quite looking forward to the next stretch as there's a few I haven't seen.

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  4. 1408 is a cracker. Totally bonkers. :)

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