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"Puppy Love..." |
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Directed by Mike White -
Written by Mike White
Starring Molly Shannon,
Laura Dern & John C
Reilly
Distributed by Paramount
Vantage -
2007 - 97 - Rated PG13 |
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I'm not sure I ever expected to say this, but it's true..."Saturday
Night Live" alum Molly Shannon saves "Year of the Dog," the
directorial debut from screenwriter Mike White ("The Good Girl,"
"Nacho Libre" and "School of Rock"). |
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Seldom have I seen
such a career-defining performance as is present here with Shannon's
remarkably heartfelt, humorous and dignified portrayal of Peggy, a
40ish year-old woman who has never been married and seems
comfortable only when she's at home in the company of her beloved
beagle pup, Pencil. When an untimely tragedy befalls Pencil after a
late-night romp to the neighbor's house, Peggy's entire world
crumbles around her and her attempts to normalize, socialize and/or
simply find a way to connect are tragic and, yes, uncomfortably
funny.
Shannon has made a career out of broad, physical comedy channeled
through outrageous characters. As much as I've loved Shannon's
comedy for years, who'd have thought she was capable of such a
sensitive, subtle performance?
"Year of the Dog" falls somewhere in between the everyday cynicism
of "The Good Girl" and the good-natured quirkiness of "Nacho Libre."
White, as he has shown so many times before, clearly embraces the
quirkiness of his characters to such a degree that, even as Peggy's
behavior deteriorates over the course of the film, it's never quite
clear who's normal and who's not.
Does normal even exist?
As White makes clear early on, Peggy's world is quite different from
everyone else's, long before Pencil's tragic accident. Everyone
around her is self-obsessed, insecure and, much like Peggy, using
the only coping skills they really know.
There's her best friend, Layla (Regina King), a beautiful young
woman obsessed with marriage and who whines incessantly while trying
to get her boyfriend to pop the question. When he finally does, she
proudly proclaims "My whining finally paid off." Marriage, clearly,
is Layla's only way to define herself and cope with life.
Then, there's her boss (Josh Pais), a materialistic and
work-obsessed man whose constantly questioning work assignments,
financial rewards and virtually anything that may prove an obstacle
to his success.
Even her brother (Thomas McCarthy) and his wife (Laura Dern) seem
perfect on the outside, but closer inspection reveals a couple whose
perfection borders on perversion and whose parenting style is
frightening, to say the least.
Yet, among this abnormal "normalcy," Peggy is still constantly
regarded as the outcast. After Pencil dies, Peggy's desperation for
connection leads her to a date with her seemingly sympathetic
neighbor (John C. Reilly), whom she later learns enjoys hunting and
may just own the poison that caused Pencil's death. When she finally
appears to find a real connection with SPCA member (Peter Sarsgaard),
she completely alters every aspect of who she is by claiming
veganism and turning her brother's young daughter into a militant
animal rights activist, as well.
In the hands of many actresses, Peggy may well have been turned into
either an eccentric old animal lover or nothing but a caricature. In
Shannon's hands, Peggy is fully alive, fully human and, yes,
desperately trying to hang on when the one thing she loves most in
life goes away. Her scenes of grief are utterly heartbreaking, and
watching her stumble her way through a grief that nobody around her
understands is an emotional, sorrowful journey filled with the most
uncomfortable kind of laughter...the laughter that comes when we
know we're screwing up but we just can't seem to stop.
As brilliant as Shannon is as Peggy, she's surrounded by a
remarkable cast of supporting characters. Most notably, Sarsgaard
turns an underwritten role into a multi-faceted character whose
militant support of all things PETA borders on frightening but never
becomes superficial. Likewise, Pais is spot-on perfect as Peggy's
boss, while Laura Dern is gleefully delightful as the in-law from
hell (especially for a militant PETA member). As her self-obsessed,
narcissistic best friend, Regina King provides a remarkable contrast
to Shirley's more socially awkward, withdrawn character. McCarthy
and Reilly, whose roles are both a tad too underwritten, still
manages to turn in impressive performances.
There are so many moments in "Year of the Dog" where it's nearly
impossible to figure out whether to laugh or cry. In essence,
though, that's the beauty of it all. Grief doesn't really make
sense, and sometimes you laugh when you shouldn't and cry when you
least expect it. One never really knows if Peggy's going to end up
that weird old lady who has 50 dogs in her house or if, perhaps, she
might retreat and become what society considers normal.
The truth, ultimately, lies somewhere in the middle.
Kudos to the film's production team, especially those responsible
for Shannon's costuming and make-up. The team beautifully captures
Shannon's joys and sorrows and, particularly, those times when she
seems to possibly be losing it all.
Behind a remarkably sensitive, heartfelt and surprisingly tender
performance from Molly Shannon, "Year of the Dog" proves that 2007
may also be the year of Molly Shannon. |
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© Written by Richard Propes -
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