Product Details

• Actors: Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, Regina King, Thomas McCarthy, Josh Pais
• Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: August 28, 2007
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000RZIGW2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,955 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Year of the Dog" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Molly Shannon plays Peggy, a happy-go-lucky secretary who is a great friend, employee, and sister living alone with her beloved dog Pencil. But when Pencil unexpectedly dies, Peggy must find meaning in her life. John C. Reilly, Peter Sarsgaard, Regina King and Laura Dern turn in great comic performances as the significant people in Peggy’s life who give her ill-fitting advice.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Molly Shannon surprises with a beautifully understated performance, April 29, 2007

By 

Jonathan Appleseed - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Molly Shannon has made a career out "crazy", so it's not surprising that she shines here as the reclusive Peggy, whose closest and dearest friend is her pet beagle, Pencil. First-time director Mike White shows us how close they are, and how codependent Peggy is: they have dinner together, watch TV together, and sleep together, Peggy cuddling and hugging Pencil to her much as she might a boyfriend or husband. Pencil doesn't seem to mind.

But then Pencil is ripped from her life. Having trespassed onto a neighbor's lawn (John C. Reilly), he is found one morning lying on his side, unresponsive. A terrified Peggy tears off to the veterinarian, but it's too late. He's gone. White handles this delicate scene well. Instead of force-feeding Peggy's loss to us with frolicking scenes of a happy Peggy and a bouncing waggily-tailed Pencil, he simply shows her sobbing in her car in the vet's parking lot. It's raw emotion, and Shannon delivers.

The loss unhinges her, and she turns her mourning into a unique passion for life. Guided by an asexual clinic worker (Peter Saarsgard - if not brilliant as many are claiming, quite good in this roll) from her vet's office who helps place foster dogs, she is introduced to veganism, and PETA, amongst other "animal rights" activities, and she finds herself, suddenly, an accidental activist. Her newfound role disrupts the comfortable ones she has found herself in: spinster, gift-giving aunt, and trusted assistant to her boss.

I referenced above that Shannon has made a career out of "crazy", and while that's true, her more hilarious characters usually display their own unhinged grasp of reality through various forms of physical humor (Mary Catherine Gallagher on SNL, and Val Bassett on Will and Grace). Here Shannon is reserved, at once dramatic and comic.

Anyone that has ever had a pet (er, kid) is sure to love this. You'll laugh, you'll be choked up a bit, and in the end, you will probably cheer Peggy's courageous choices.

4 1/2 stars

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Good 'Year' For Shannon and White, October 10, 2007

By 

Rudy Palma "The Writing Fiend" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Year of the Dog (DVD)

Screenwriter Mike White's "Year of the Dog," which marks his directorial debut, was underappreciated during theatrical release last spring despite its being chockfull of wit, charm, intriguing characters and a fiercely original plot. Molly Shannon strays out of comedic bounds and nails the lead character of Peggy, proving she has a wealth of dramatic talent that has gone largely underused. Now on DVD, her performance is a grand revelation.

Peggy is a typical wallflower working in a typical office building as a typical secretary. In her early 40's, her social calendar is an arctic wilderness yet she is acquiescent, for her supreme pleasure in life is devotion to Pencil, her impossibly adorable pet beagle. Pencil dies in a needless accident, however, and Peggy is sent into a harrowing tailspin. The death of a house pet may not seem more like an unfortunate event than a grand trauma, but viewers with this mindset are in for a surprise - the realization of Pencil's death is most rattling, and Shannon is a marvel to watch as her ensuing devastation twists and jerks throughout the course of the movie affecting all aspects of her life.

No one is able to empathize with her sad state, which puts her at odds with the world. Her friend and co-worker Layla, a Type A personality portrayed by the incomparable Regina King, insists that Peggy pursue a romantic life, loosen up and "stop shacking up with dogs." Her brother Pier and sister-in-law Bret, played with [...]-retentive relish by Thomas McCarthey and Laura Dern, expect her to move on quickly and avoid saying "d-e-a-t-h" in front of their first-grader. Meanwhile, her self-involved boss Robin, played to archetypal tight-wound perfection by Josh Pais, expects an early Christmas bonus should ease her troubles. Her neighbor Al, played by the always reliable John C. Reilly, hardly offers her any comfort either - never mind that he may be indirectly responsible for Pencil's death.

Then a light suddenly shines on Peggy in the form Newt, an ASPCA volunteer played by Peter Sarsgaard. As a result of their interactions and commonalities Peggy begins to feel parts of herself humanized that had before been merely dismissed, and soon embarks on a long, arduous journey that tests her willpower and inner spirit, not to mention her values.

"I've always been disappointed by people. I've really only been able to count on my pets," she says. "But it's enough."

Many will chastise White's script and question if PETA helped fund "Year of the Dog" due to its uncompromising look at the early stages that result in beef stew on the family table (though it never gets graphic) and animal rights issues in general. However, there are definite checks and balances within the script, which tells a story not about animals but about how one woman's deep love for them puts her on a path of self-discovery.

"There are so many kinds of life in this life - so many things to love," says Peggy. "This is my love. It is mine."

The idea that the definition of love is different for all people certainly warrants a movie of its own, and "Year of the Dog" does it justice many times over. Will it burn up the Oscars? Probably not. Rent it anyway.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely wonderful !!!, September 21, 2007

By 

Robert I. Bloom (brooklyn, ny USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Year of the Dog (DVD)

i havent laughed so hard at anything since the in-laws the one w peter falk of course--- this is a satire-- so most people dont even get it---- this movie is brilliantly written directed cast and acted-- the art direction and photography- everything adding up to a pitch perfect scathing satire-- making fun of obsessed people, pet owners vegans bizness people people who cant find love accept thru their not always so domesticated pet animals-- but whats most amazing is how straight its played and how funny it is-- this is brilliant work by all-- molly shannon is a revelation to watch--- the close ups are all perfect and hysterical--- satires are what close on saturday night a famous theatre anecdote states-- satires are usually not understood apparently--they require a certain sophistication of thought/ understanding that seems apparently beyond most --certainly the reviews ive read all miss the whole point of this right on gem-----i`m eternally grateful that writers producers etc--havent given up on this genre---- the moments of real drama here are so sharp and well acted-- mollys moment crying uncontrollably in her car-- amazing-- and then followed by such low key understated hysteria-- her bosses reaction to her problem-- the looks on their faces--- the movie is also about how people are in their own worlds and do not connect truly w each other---transferring intimacy to animals etc---- but its how well its all done that makes it so praiseworthy--- for those who will get it-- go get it !!!!! in its own way this is a real gem of a movie----i went from crying along w molly-- to laughing harder than ive laughed in -what ?? years ??!!!!! just moments later--- i truly love this movie--- but i know most wont-- too bad-you have no idea what you are missing- kudos to all involved--sheer brilliance !!!!