Must Love Dogs is a funny romantic comedy that pretty much follows the formula established for the genre, but doesn’t live up to the expectations that comes with its all star cast.
The movie has a huge cast of Hollywood all stars including Diane Lane, John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing and the great Christopher Plummer.
The film’s plot follows Sarah (Lane) who is a recently divorced preschool teacher being urged to start dating again by her overbearing family. When her two sisters place an add for her on an Internet dating website, Sarah follows through with a series of horrible dates in her attempt to meet the right man.
Jake (Cusack) also just finalized a messy divorce and is content to just concentrate on his boat building business and watching Dr. Zhivago. His lawyer signs him up for the same dating service and Jake quickly falls for Lane after the first date.
This being a romantic comedy, the two main characters have a falling out, and spend most of the second half of the movie figuring out that they really belong with each other. Both think they have blown their chances at romance, but the audience knows they will work it out before the credits roll.
The movie’s plot could be swapped with any other recent romantic comedy - such as You Got Mail or Someone Like You. It has some really funny moments, but they are not enough to keep you interested. Instead, you start wondering how they are going to work the film’s ending into the story, and how much longer you have to watch until it is over. You never really question whether the two characters will find each other because you have seen this type film so many times.
Channing and Plummer steal almost every scene
With the film following the “how to make a romantic comedy” blueprint, Lane and Cusack have little to offer their characters. Both actors sink into the type of performance that have characterized their careers, and never really help lift the movie out of its familiar formula.
Lane pretty much plays the same character that we saw in Under The Tuscan Sun and A Walk on the Moon. Her performance is a good counter to Cusack’s trademark ranting and off the wall behavior.
At the same time, she never really seems to devote herself to the role as she has in past films – such as Unfaithful. Instead, she keeps to the beautiful middle-aged woman trying to start her life over, but not knowing how to begin.
Cusack, who is great in films like Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity, delivers the same rambling performance that has defined his acting for most of his career. He is really funny in the movie, but seems somewhat out of place in the part. He lacks any real chemistry with Lane, and instead seems to question why he even took the part in the first place.
Thanks to the hilarious performances of Plummer and Channing, the movie does have some redeeming characters and moments. The two help save some of the films slower moments, and add a nice sub-story to the overused plot.
Plummer is great as Lane’s father – who is also dating again and using the Internet to find younger women. The actor quotes famous poets at random, and provides some of the film’s finer moments. He is not in the movie enough to save it, but fulfills his duty as the wise father who shows Lane where she went wrong.
Lane and Cusack are good in the film, but lack real chemistry
Channing, who plays one of the four women dating Plummer, is great in the film and seems to really have fun portraying a lady who isn’t shy about bending the truth to date as many men as she can.
Like Plummer, she does a good job moving the story along, and helping Lane realize that life is too short to not pursue someone you love. Her character also doesn’t have enough screen time, but Channing makes good use of her scenes. She also manages to stand out against some of the other actors in the film.
The DVD is a little bare on special features, but does include a few additional scenes with optional commentary; and a gag reel. The additional scenes don’t hurt the film, but they also don’t add too much. The gag reel has some pretty moments, and shows that the cast did enjoy making the film.
Although the audience never has to question where the film is going, Must Love Dogs is funny, and has some charm. The cast does a solid job in their roles, and delivers the lighthearted comedy you can expect from the romantic-comedy genre. Lane and Cusack lack any real chemistry on screen, but seem comfortable enough with each other to sell the story.
Cusack delivers the same off the wall behavior that made him a star
I would recommend the film to anyone who wants a good funny movie that doesn’t require much thought. It fulfills all the requirements for a good love story, and won’t leave fans of the genre too disappointed.
Must Love Dogs is available for pre-order at Amazon for a Tuesday, Dec. 20th release. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 6, 2006, release. Visit the DVD’s database for more information.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story