For a film that's more realistic -- almost depressingly so -- about singlehood and the dating game than most romantic comedies, Dog Park is paradoxically madly in love with ordinary life. Andy, who calls himself a loser, is actually a genuinely sweet guy whose biggest problem is that he's a little too nice for his own good. (The charming Wilson is like a less prickly, slightly dorkier version of David Duchovny, with a touch of Bill Pullman's sardonicism.) The gorgeous Lorna is clad in the "uniform of the depressed" -- sweatpants -- when she crankily brushes off Andy's initial approach. (Who knew Henstridge, who's made a name for herself playing an alien blow-up doll in the Species movies, could actually act?) Andy and Lorna ping-pong off each other -- through weird and uncomfortable dates with each other and with other people -- during the course of a luscious Toronto autumn: many a dog romps through piles of golden leaves, many a cozy sweater is donned. The comfortable realism helps Dog Park's off-kilter humor and commentary on romance in the 90s hit home more than a slick flick like Runaway Bride could ever hope to.

Even Dog Park's bizarre humor offers painful zings of relationship reality along with laughs. Andy is forced to confront the fact that his ex has jumped right back into the romance ring when Mr. Mobley starts acting up: He's been traumatized by bearing witness to Cheryl's "out of control" sex life, according to the renowned, and somewhat obsessive, animal therapist (played appropriately over-the-top by McCulloch's fellow Kid in the Hall, Mark McKinney: The Out-of-Towners) to whom Andy and Cheryl take the dog for treatment. The knife in Andy's wound is twisted more when the doc suggests a shared-custody arrangement for Mr. Mobley, who should split his time between Andy and Cheryl -- Andy's complete lack of a sex life should be a relaxing change of pace for the dog.

Written and directed by Bruce McCulloch, Dog Park isn't a perfect film. Some scenes have a sketch-comedy feel to them (not surprising, considering McCulloch's comedic roots), with dialogue a bit too contrived in a few spots, and the plot suffers from a tad too many coincidences. But on the whole, Dog Park cheerfully touches on realities of love and romance that movies all too often ignore, and makes us laugh at the fears and insecurities that plague us all. I'd much rather see more films like this than the candy-coated "romantic comedy" sap that Hollywood cranks out.

viewed at a private screening with an audience of critics

-- FlickPhilosopher.com 

Bursting with love and heartbreak

by Christabel Padmore 

The dog park is bursting with love and heartbreak in this simple and juvenile comedy about young and unstable dog owners.

Andy (Luke Wilson) is a lovelorn and insecure magazine writer. He can’t function outside a relationship and will date practically anyone rather than face loneliness. This character could have been funny, had he been given something funny to say. Instead, Andy is just pathetic and doesn't seem very deserving of any relationship at all.

He falls for Lorna (Natasha Henstridge) a children's television host who he picks up in a bar. Despite her obnoxious verbal abuse, the two find an awkward attraction. The chase begins, with Lorna playing hard to get and Andy yearning for her, much the same way the dogs in this movie pine for attention.

There are moments of authentic humour in this film, reminiscent of director and screenwriter Bruce McCulloch's earlier Kids in the Hall television days. There are random and bizarre outbursts that remind the viewer of how a funnier movie would have looked and sounded. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between and don't hold the film together adequately. McCulloch has mostly written himself out of the movie, playing just a small part opposite the next best thing in the film – Janeane Garofalo. With only appearances as couple and confidantes Jeff and Jerry, McCulloch and Garofalo are sadly missed elsewhere in the film.

Cheryl (Kathleen Robertson of Beverly Hills 90210 fame) and Trevor (Gordon Currie) provide some comic relief as quirky ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend of Andy and Lorna, who are now involved together. These characters are sexy, stylish and flaky. Cheryl and Trevor are funny together and better illustrate contemporary relationships than anyone else in the film. Disappointingly, their roles are minor and insufficient.

McCulloch’s Kids in the Hall chum Mark McKinney tries to come to the film’s rescue as the dog trainer and therapist. He's funny and the only character that is thoroughly developed.

There are some moderately entertaining performances in this movie, but they unfortunately don't come from the main characters. There is too much bad acting and far too few jokes, to qualify Dog Park as a full-fledged comedy or romance.

Setting the film in a dog park isn't very funny either, beyond dog tricks and sleazy pick up lines, which do provide a few laughs. This movie is not as funny as McCulloch’s previous film, Brain Candy, and isn't even remotely as entertaining as the Canadian Kids in the Hall television series. A die-hard McCulloch fan might check this movie out simply to see him working, even if he's not working very hard, or very successfully.

-- Apollo Movie Guide 

Dog Park (1998)

Director: Bruce McCulloch
Written By: Bruce McCulloch
Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Luke Wilson, Kathleen Robertson, Janeane Garofalo, Bruce McCulloch
Genre: Comedy, Independent
Rated: R, Runtime: 91 minutes

Review by Mike Dean

All outward appearances of Dog Park, the newest fall romantic comedy from Lions Gate Films, seem promising. After all, it was written and directed by Kids in the Hall alum Bruce McCulloch and features a charming comedic cast, including Janeane Garofalo, Luke Wilson, and Mark McKinney. And those trailers actually look good. But this film fails to deliver in almost every area, mainly because it features writing and directing plagued with inconsistency, poor plot development, and acting that suffers from a lack of inspiration.

The film follows the life of Andy (Luke Wilson), a perpetual “nice guy” who’s suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into the single life after his longtime girlfriend Cheryl (Kathleen Robertson) leaves him for another man and takes Andy’s beloved collie, Mogley, with her. Andy, of course, is heartbroken, but he soon gets over it (perhaps a little too soon) when he meets Lorna (Natasha Hentsridge), a kid’s TV show hostess who’s just getting over a painful breakup herself (it turns out that her ex is the same guy Cheryl dumped Andy for). The two naturally seem like a match made somewhere in heaven, but Lorna’s insecurity holds her back, and things are further complicated between the two when Andy gets sucked into a relationship with a bubbly blonde (Kristin Lehman) who overwhelms him with her sexual drive. Add to this mix a perfect couple (Janeane Garofalo and Bruce McCulloch), an out-of-touch dog handler/psychiatrist (Mark McKinney), and a totally arbitrary dog park setting which serves only to bring all the players together for the less-than-grand finale, and you’ve got yourself the plot for Dog Park.

Much of the problem with this film appears to stem from the fact that each supporting character has been granted too large a role in the story, resulting in too many characters vying for screen time, and unsuccessfully at that, because the finished product is littered with only half-complete characters and confusing subplots. This would also explain why the performances in this film seem unusually bad: there simply wasn’t enough time or material to work with. In fact, with the possible exceptions of only Wilson and McKinney, Dog Park is chock-full of forgettable performances. Even the reliable Garofalo seems totally uncomfortable with her role as the sickeningly sweet best friend.

It would seem that Mr. McCulloch has made the mistake of trying to string rejected Kids in the Hall sketches into a feature film and ran into the same kind of plot development problems that hold back other films made in this way. In any event, Dog Park offers little more than a few sparse chuckles and confused theories on “dating in the ‘90s,” and registers approximately the same entertainment value as peeling moist dog droppings off your boots with a stick.

-- Jiminy Critic Film Reviews

"Mingle" by The Saturday Knights

Melting-pot out-there rap group The Saturday Knights genre-hop so quickly on their third LP Mingle, it might leave you a bit dizzy. Incorporating throwback-funk (with cred-chocked guests The Dap Kings), early-Beasties style punk-rap ("Motorin'") and even surf guitar noodles (the shockingly-titled "Surf Song"), the Knights are out to ensure that there's never a dull moment.

-- eMusic.com

Buy the album, "Mingle" by The Saturday Knights" at eMusic.com

"Dog Park by The Saturday Nights