Year of the Dog

Mike White proved himself one of America's most original comic scriptwriters with Chuck & Buck (2000), which brilliantly blended humor with dark undercurrents, and he added a distinctively quirky tone to studio fare such as School of Rock. The first film he has both written and directed, Year of the Dog is a marvelously off-the-wall, delightfully deadpan effort that also features a touch of tragedy. Molly Shannon stars as Peggy, a mousy secretary whose life centers around her adorable little beagle. When the dog dies, Peggy is sent into an emotional tailspin—embarking on a bad date with a grubby neighbor (John C. Reilly) and a brief relationship with the animal shelter worker (Peter Sarsgaard) who provides Peggy with a new dog—before she truly jumps off track, filling her home with mongrels that are slated to be put down, playing fast and loose with office funds to support pro-animal causes, and rocking the boat with her relatives because of her increasingly strident views. White's droll writing and laidback directing make his characters both weirdly funny and genuinely pathetic (often at the same time), and while Year of the Dog might sound like the pro-PETA movie par excellence, it's actually a sweetly empathetic study of society's emotional fringe-dwellers. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Mike White and star Molly Shannon, “A Special Breed of Comedy” making-of featurette (16 min.), seven deleted scenes with optional commentary (12 min.), a “Moviefone Unscripted” interview with Shannon and White (7 min.), “Being Molly Shannon” (4 min.), “Mike White Unleashed” (4 min.), a “Special Animal Unit” featurette about working with the dogs and trainers (4 min.), a three-minute gag reel, an “Insert Reel” of short clips (2 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a fine film.] (F. Swietek)