Customer Reviews

Bark

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was so relieved to find this excellent movie. The actors are great, the script a little kooky but very sensitive, and this one hit me in the heart. To me, this movie is about Unconditional Love. The husband realizes that he would rather have a happy "crazy" wife than a wife on medication being used as a guinea pig and turned into a zombie. I was moved to tears because I have this kind of love and I am also obsessed with my dogs. I am buying this movie for my husband, my mother and my doctor. I am hoping they will understand and see what I see. GREAT MOVIE...STUPID COVER...EXcellent Acting...A movie that makes you think...and if you do think and see past the extraneous plot directions, you will understand about Unconditional love.

Bark! is the story of a woman named Lucy (Heather Morgan) who is the midst of a mental breakdown and the only way she communicates is through barking. Lee Tergesen (HBO's Oz) plays her frustrated but very patient husband, Peter, who seeks advice about Lucy from everyone, including the family vet, played by Lisa Kudrow) and a psychiatric resident, played by Vincent D'Onofrio.

Fans of Oz, who've seen Tergesen shine as Tobias Beecher, will be thrilled to see the not-seen-often-enough actor in almost every scene of this film. He *is* the movie. Everything revolves around him and the problem his wife is encountering. And he plays the part brilliantly. Yes, I'm a little biased because he's my favorite actor, but he really does shine here. Peter has to deal with his wife's breakdown, her lack of communication, her very strange and hostile family, taking over her business and do it all without losing his own mind. Tergesen makes us feel for Peter. We ache for him, even when he betrays his wife.

The film itself is weird and has no satisfying conclusion but Lee is amazing to watch and his performance is guaranteed to make you glad you bought this DVD.

Hank Azaria has a small part as Peter's best friend.

I was happily surprise when I rented that movie, even though I was reluctant to do so because of the appalling DVD cover. But thanks to my tasteful friends, I was privileged to discover, at last, a fantastic piece of work. Darkness runs along the length of happiness; your mood fluctuates from tears to laughter. The director treats a difficult subject mixing all the contradictory feelings, all the high and lows that makes existence so beautiful and so tough but still worth living.
The actors are breathtaking and embark you on this journey wether you like it or not... A must see.

Bark was a very funny movie but it was also sad, as the wife was truly sick. As usual Vincent D'Onofrio did a spectacular job with his part in this movie. I found it very poignant.

I rented this video on a whim, and enjoyed it, although it wasn't at all what I expected. The story is intriguing, the acting is excellent, and the story is well-told. But it's not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination.

Lisa Kudrow was the only actress/actor in the film I'd heard of, so I figured she had the leading role. However, she is not the woman who barks--in fact, her role is relatively minor. Because of Kudrow's presence and the write-up on the box, I assumed the film would be a wacky comedy along the lines of Romy and Michelle Go To The Dogs. Not.

There are light moments, but overall the film is sad and touching. I'd put it more in the category of Rain Man or Awakenings--dramas that affirm the worth and lovability of those whose brains aren't working quite right, that include some comedic moments to break the tension.

I think the film says some important things about how we ought to deal with the mentally ill. (Love a person where they are, and help them to be as happy as possible instead of medicating them into oblivion.) See it! But don't expect it to be a wacky, screwball-style comedy as advertised on the box.

Sorry 'bout that pun!

It's difficult watching a group of amazingly talented actors try to make something out of this mess of a script. Unfortunately Heather Morgan, who plays Lucy, wrote the screenplay and didn't do herself any favors.

The premise of a man watching his emotionally delicate wife's mental stability disintegrate to the point of where she recedes into life as a dog holds some promise, but it isn't fully realized here. Secondary characters, particularly Lisa Kudrow as the veterinarian seem lost at sea.

There is something of the indulgent feel of an actor's improvisatory workshop at work here, a sort of "let's assemble a group of independently odd characters and place them into a collective situation." With all of the characters wildly left of center there is little more than Lee Tergeson's slowly unhinging Peter to draw comparisons with normality to on the whack-o-meter. Hank Azaria tries, but isn't given any meat to work with and his fairly large amount of screen time feels wasted. How do you NOT use a talent like Azaria who pretty much livens up anything just by being there. Evidently, this is how.

Heather Morgan actually makes the most of the role she's given herself and she veers from wildly annoying to earning this viewer's sympathy at her handling by the psychiatric/medical professionals.

Vincent D'Onofrio does manage to add another winner to his aresenal of misfits. A brief bit with him playing Vivaldi on a harp is the highlight of the film.

Everyone gives there all and you want to route for them - Tergeson most of all - but an earthbound script keeps the entire thing from ever becoming anything special. Too bad.

A mixture of laughs and tears. An ensemble of funny, excentric charactere served by a more than perfect cast. An original approach to a difficult subject. Do not let yourself fool by the cover. This is a really good film that fluctuates between absurd, funny and dramatic situations, which forces it's heroes to make unusual choices; it is about friendship and love and loss... about life!

I was soooooo surprised/impressed by this movie. A complete pleasant surprise. I love dogs, therefore, gave it a chance and I'm glad I did. Once getting through the beginning of the movie (which I thought would be unbelievable or not possible) I was so incredibly moved by it. Very moving and enjoyable, to say the least..............

I'm very surprised at all the high ratings for this movie. This movie was awful, maybe I'm just not avant-garde enough to get this movie but I was not impressed.

Basically this movie is about a woman who acts like a dog. Seeing her bark was annoying for the neighbors in the movie and for me. I have to admit that I didn't finish this movie, so maybe it gets better but I doubt it.

Bark is a film that had everything going for it. Lee Tergesen, Hank Azaria, Lisa Kudrow and Vincent D'Onofrio are all extremely talented actors that do wonderfully with the material they're given. Some scenes are laugh-out-loud funny. The premise, a woman beginning to think she's a dog, is original and full of potential to be either humorous or dramatic.

So what went wrong? Not only was most of the movie not funny or moving, it was banal and pointless. The over-the-top characters (Lisa Kudrow is a ditzy vet; Vincent D'Onofrio is a psychologist who wishes he could play the harp for a living; Hank Azaria is a rebel who can't keep a job for more than a week; Lee Tergesen is the normal guy who watches the insanity around him with amazement), instead of being interesting, mostly came across as silly and badly thought out. Scenes meant to show us how crazy life was made little sense and were badly scripted. The final scenes, obviously meant to be heartwarming, were soppy and rather abrupt. Plot lines started and then went nowhere, leaving me wondering what happened.

This movie is worth a look if you're a fan of any of the actors. They all make the most of what they've been given, and each has a scene or two where they rise above the mediocre material. However, if you're not already a fan, there's not much to recommend about this.