Click to read the article
Comment
10/05/07
Year of the Dog (2007)
69
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:139
Fresh:96
Rotten:43
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Year of the Dog is a warm and quirky comedy that never condescends to its eccentric characters.
Runtime: 1 hr 38 mins
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $1,470,625
Synopsis: Any dog-lover would be a fool to pass up this charming dark comedy from director/screenwriter/actor Mike White (THE GOOD GIRL, SCHOOL OF ROCK, CHUCK AND BUCK). Famous for her iconic portrayal of... [More]
Starring: Molly Shannon, Peter Sarsgaard, John C. Reilly, Regina King
Director: Mike White
Reviews for Year of the Dog
Top CriticDespite director Mike White's ability to make the heartfelt moments count, the film never makes the grade. The title prompts great expectations for animal lovers; the result is a bit like a doggie bag with a taste of everything, but not enough of anything
10/06/07
Top CriticPeggy is an admirable woman, get that, and not to pitied. Or is she? I wasn't and still am not sure
04/16/07
Mike White has had the courage to redirect his abundant quirkiness away from benign nerdiness and toward a quiet subversiveness.
05/05/07
Finally, in "Year of the Dog" Shannon has found a project that amply plunges her persona for laughs and sighs.
05/02/07
The bittersweet Dog is a film that whimpers rather than barks.
04/26/07
What could have been a feel-good performance from Molly Shannon is instead delicate, poignant, and an unexpected display of dramatic mastery from an actress who's made her name with comedy.
04/11/07
We're asked to laugh at her. Then we're asked to be ashamed of our laughter. It's a delicate balance, and White and his actors pull it off magnificently.
04/27/07
Mike White knows awkward.
04/27/07
White's gently perceptive film is a funny, poignant, emotionally honest minor-key character study about a painfully shy woman whose scary, uncertain adult life begins when her dog's happy little existence ends.
04/14/07
White also appears to have lost his grip, taking wild stabs at comedy and tragedy and ending up with something that's fractured and fluffy, and definitely not as cute as it thinks it is.
08/31/07
[Writer-director White] is perceptive and gentle enough a director to allow Peggy to become a dog person of tragic proportions without laughing at her. He's a humorist with a humane core.
04/20/07
A charming film that is neither saccharin nor sanctimonious as it treads the well-worn romantic comedy genre, not so much dismantling it as rearranging it just enough to make it interesting -- and perhaps just a little scary.
04/21/07
As you would expect from a writer like Mike White, Year Of The Dog is a smartly scripted, darkly funny work. But from Molly Shannon's performance to White's own ability as a director of actors, there are plenty of pleasant surprises here.
08/31/07
True harmless joy is so rare in this world that we dare not begrudge it to anyone, wherever it happens to lie.
04/26/07
(Shannon) shelves her wacky, semi-intoxicated persona to bare her soul for the benefit of a vulnerable and tender comedy.
05/01/07
Despite the gimmicky direction and a disappointing climax, this is a distinctive and unsettling comedy.
04/27/07
Year of the Dog succeeds in drawing you in, making you look at the world from her perspective. By the end of the movie, you will recognize what kind of a person she is -- and you'll understand how she came to be that way.
04/20/07
Top CriticIt's enjoyable in a dry but fervent way that most American comedies aren't.
04/23/07
There's a good subject buried here: The way the lives of animal lovers can be upended by the loss of a pet.
04/12/07
Latest News for Year of the Dog
August 29, 2007:
RTIndie: Indie Movie Glut Makes Screenings Tough In NYC
This week at RTIndie, we'll take a look at what the over-saturation of specialty films has done to New York's theatrical landscape. Plus, AOL screens 40 minutes of the... More...
August 28, 2007:
RT on DVD: Blades of Glory, Air Guitar Nation, and Heroes: Season 1 Arrive!
It's an exciting week to be a fan of NBC's Heroes (we vote Petrelli -- Peter Petrelli!) but the uninitiated also have rival figure skaters, real-life air guitarists, and plenty... More...
April 28, 2007:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
April 22, 2007:
Box Office Wrapup: New Films No Match For Scary Shia
In the battle of the single-word-titled thrillers, "Fracture" beat out "Vacancy" but neither could dislodge "Disturbia" from the number one spot... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Dressing Wonderland
Tim Burton's costume designer talks to Movieline about her long collaboration with the filmmaker and Johnny Depp.
Wes Anderson on Fox
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Win Glee DVDs
We've got 20 copies of the hit TV series' Pilot Episode to giveaway.
Win tickets to Cold Souls
Double passes up for grabs to the new comedy starring Paul Giamatti.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds