This buried treasure, ripe for discovery, features Kenneth Branagh in one of his best roles in years as a perfect mouthpiece for writer/director Michael Kalesniko's caustic screenplay, which features sarcastic ripostes and witty epigrams for all occasions. Branagh stars as transplanted British playwright Peter McGowan, who lives up to his moniker as "America's Favorite Bastard." Not only were his last two plays flops, his current work is bogged down in production, hampered by his inability to write believable children's dialogue. But that's just the beginning of his problems: his beloved wife (Robin Wright Penn, also at her best) is pressuring him to start a family, a neighborhood stalker is passing himself off as McGowan, and his neighbor's barking dog is keeping Peter awake. Salvation comes in the unlikely form of an eight-year-old named Amy (Suzi Hofrichter), who moves in next door with her mother. At first, McGowan avoids her, but then begins to bring his notebook along to the elaborate tea parties the lonely girl gives for her dolls. Not all of this works (some of the characters, including the flamboyantly gay, Petulia Clark-obsessed director of McGowan's play, are caricatures) but it is mostly a sharp-edged treat for adults. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
Artisan, 108 min., R, VHS: $44.99, DVD: $24.98 Volume 17, Issue 3
How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
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