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| "Must Love Dogs" centers on a divorcee (Lane) who, after choosing another Mr. Wrong, swears off dating. Her close-knit Irish-American family enrolls her in a number of online dating programs. The film is based on Claire Cook's 2002 novel. |
(2005) Film Review |
| This
page was created on June 22, 2005
This page was last updated on
September 1, 2005
—Overview
—Photos
—About this Film
—Spiritual Connections
—Review by Jacob Sahms
—Review by PapaBear
Dial up modems will take a few moments |
| CREDITS |
| Directed
by Gary David Goldberg
Novel
by Claire Cook
Screenplay by Gary David Goldberg
 Cast
(in credits order)
Diane Lane .... Sarah
John Cusack .... John Anderson
Elizabeth Perkins .... Carol
Dermot Mulroney .... Bob Connor
Christopher Plummer .... Bill
Stockard Channing .... Dolly
Ben Shenkman .... Charlie
Brad William Henke .... Leo
Julie Gonzalo .... June
Ali Hillis .... Christine
Kirk Trutner .... Deli Guy
Mary Castro .... Featured pole dancer in pin stripes
Bobby Coleman .... Austin Connor
Jamie Denbo .... Bertha
Julie Dretzin .... Patrice
Michelle Fabiano .... Bill Jr.'s Wife
Sandra Hess .... Jennifer
Glenn Howerton .... Michael
Amy Kidd .... Jennifer
Jon Lindstrom .... Peter
Kate McClafferty .... Joanna
Suzy Nakamura .... Mai
Emma Prescott .... Molly Meehan
Will Rothhaar .... Jeremy
Jaden Sorensen .... Justin
Jordana Spiro .... Sherry
Josh Stamberg .... Lennie
Patrick St. Esprit .... Marshall
Victor Webster
Bess Wohl
Produced
by
Polly Cohen .... executive producer
Gary David Goldberg .... producer
Brad Hall .... executive producer
Julie Ragland .... associate producer
Ronald G. Smith .... executive producer
Jennifer Todd .... producer
Suzanne Todd .... producer
Original
Music by Craig Armstrong
Cinematography by John Bailey
Film
Editing by
Roger Bondelli
Eric A. Sears
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content.
For rating reasons, go to FILMRATINGS.COM,
and MPAA.ORG.
Parents, please refer to PARENTALGUIDE.ORG
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AND CLIPS |
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| BOOK |
Must
Love Dogs
by Claire Cook
 |
| POSTER |
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| SYNOPSIS
|
| Dating is never easy. Early in the search for love, people find the golden formula for meeting a soul mate is one part humiliation, two parts aggravation, and a little blind luck thrown in for the fortunate.
Today's dating game is a blur of websites, speed lunches and hordes of friends and relatives who know just the wrong person for you. Thirty-something pre-school teacher Sarah Nolan (DIANE LANE) has been divorced for eight months, which is much too long for her co-workers and family to bear. With the best of intentions and only her happiness in mind, Sarah's sisters, Carol (ELIZABETH PERKINS) and Christine (ALI HILLIS), begin lining up less-than-savory potential suitors. Meanwhile, their widowed father, Bill (CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER), is way ahead of the curve, having already cornered the market on internet dates, including his new web squeeze, the free-spirited Dolly (STOCKARD CHANNING). Eager to launch her sister's cyber-dating debut, Carol pretends to be Sarah, goes online and puts her profile on perfectmatch.com, with the last line being "Must love dogs." Sarah soon endures a torrent of eager wannabes and one very possible maybe, the handsome and accomplished but surprisingly awkward web date Jake (JOHN CUSACK) as well as Bob (DERMOT MULRONEY), the newly-divorced dad of one of her students, a hot prospect who may prove too good to be true. As she braves a series of hilariously disastrous mismatches and first dates, Sarah begins to trust her own instincts again and learns that, no matter what, it's never a good idea to give up on love.
Based on the best-selling book by Claire Cook, Must Love Dogs is written, directed and produced by three-time Emmy Award winner Gary David Goldberg. Also producing is the team of Jennifer Todd and Suzanne Todd, with Brad Hall and Ronald G. Smith serving as executive producers. John Bailey, A.S.C., is the director of photography; Eric Sears, A.C.E. and Roger Bondelli, A.C.E. are the editors; and Naomi Shohan is the production designer. Florence-Isabelle Megginson and Gamila Smith are the costume designers.
Notes
"We wanted to explore one woman's search for love in an increasingly frantic world," explains Gary David Goldberg, who created the beloved television comedy series Family Ties among other film and television productions. "It is such a treat to work with a cast that brings to life a story I find extremely rich and funny." Must Love Dogs , written for the screen by Goldberg from Claire Cook's novel, attracted Diane Lane for many reasons, not the least of which was the opportunity to work with its writer/director. "I found it to be even more of a romantic comedy than Under the Tuscan Sun ," she says. "Because Gary wrote and is directing the film, he has a clear vision of how he wants to tell his story. At the same time, he is a very warm and generous person." Lane, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role in the 2002 romantic thriller Unfaithful , counts among her credits numerous demanding and complex roles in such films as The Perfect Storm , A Walk on the Moon and The Cotton Club . Equally adept at comedy, most notably in the charming 2003 feature Under the Tuscan Sun , she welcomes the chance to return to the genre. "Diane's flair for comedy meshes beautifully with an hilarious script by Gary David Goldberg that explores a modern woman's quest for romance and a soul mate in a world where both are in short supply," says producer Jennifer Todd, who, with her sister and partner Suzanne Todd, produced the hugely successful Austin Powers comedies as well as Memento and Boiler Room . Starring as one of Sarah's wayward suitors is acclaimed actor John Cusack, whose career encompasses both drama and comedy, including roles in The Grifters , High Fidelity (for which he earned a BAFTA nomination), The Thin Red Line and Being John Malkovich . "I was happy to be asked to do the film," says Cusack. "I've always wanted to work with Diane Lane, and Gary is a genuinely wonderful person - very funny and open and comfortable." The producers have assembled a celebrated supporting cast including Christopher Plummer ( National Treasure, The Insider ), Dermot Mulroney ( About Schmidt ), Elizabeth Perkins ( Cats & Dogs ) and Stockard Channing (Emmy Award-winner for her role on the television series The West Wing ) to bring author Claire Cook's fictional collection of hilarious misadventures and misfires in the modern dating world to life. Must Love Dogs completed location shooting in December 2004 in Los Angeles and surrounding communities such as Long Beach, Pasadena, San Pedro and Malibu Lake. It is scheduled for worldwide release by Warner Bros. Pictures in July 2005. |
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| The many illustrations and philosophies of love collide in the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs, as recent divorcees Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane) and Jake Anderson (John Cusack) find themselves pushed into dating by their friends and family. The ‘game plans’ of each character’s supporting cast contradicts the natures of Sarah and Jake, but the obvious tension provides plenty of laughs for both men and women. Exploring the ups and downs of the reentry into the dating scene allows for a closer look at relationships, dating and love.
Sarah’s family, father Bill (Christopher Plummer) and sisters Carol and Christine (Elisabeth Perkins and Ali Hills) provide her support team, or rather her not-asked-for advisory squad, and try to convince her that the husband who left her wasn’t good enough. Jake has only his friend Charlie (Ben Shankman), who says that he is “free” following his divorce, but Jake gladly allowed his ex-wife to have everything in their divorce—he still loved her. We hear in Jake’s words a male belief that women already have their love epic written, and that he just didn’t fit into his ex-wife’s story. He longs to find a woman worth chasing over continents (as he watches his favorite film, Doctor Zhivago, over and over again), in a relationship that contains more than sex and lasts.
As the two main characters adopt the internet as their main form of ‘advertising,’ Sarah’s attention becomes diverted by the father of one of her preschool students, Bobby (Dermot Mulroney). Carol repeatedly pushes Sarah to date frequently, but Sarah believes that she made a decision to be married to her first husband and she messed it up, so maybe she doesn’t get any other chances. Unfortunately, I heard in her words about love and relationship the same thing that many people believe about their relationship with God—that it’s too messed up to be made right, that their mistakes can’t be wiped away, that God is too angry with them to love them. Jake tells her that the hurt people experience allows our hearts to grow, having experienced the pain, we reach even farther the next time. Unfortunately, in any relationships, it varies from person to person: some reach farther on the way back, others shrink further into themselves.
The pain extends to the other family members—Bill who looks merely for temporary companionship that will never replace his dead one true love, Carol who tells Sarah that even married couples can’t find the love they want, and Sarah’s brother finds himself kicked out of the house from time to time. Dolly (Stockard Channing) is one of the temporary loves of Bill, and she teaches Sarah some skills in bouncing back. She tells her that the internet is part fantasy, part community, and you can pay your bills naked. The ‘false’ dates that both Sarah and Jake go on prove that the internet can’t provide all you need to know, but it does provide the beginnings of community, something that websites like this one provide. There is safety for Sarah in the internet access, because her attempts with Bobby are…lacking.
At least with Jake, Sarah finds “rhythm, balance, and timing.” Betraying Jake in a moment of impulse, she betrays herself—and that is the greatest hurt of the whole movie. As Dolly tells her, when you love someone, you forgive them the greatest mistake. And once again, the movie exhibits truth-filled self expression as Sarah ‘dives in’ like Peter searching out the resurrected Jesus. Here we have the ultimate repentance, baptism and grace provided on Jake’s wooden ‘cross.’ It’s whole-ness, and his willingness to forgive her and begin again, that provide a meaningful example for all our relationships. Love does forgive the greatest faults: we have the example of Jesus to follow, and Must Love Dogs displays the example with humor, tenderness and hope.
—Comment on the blog
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Sometimes you don’t even need to be watching the screen to determine if a movie is any good or not. Sometimes you can just tell by the number and intensity of the “Ooohs” and “Aaahs” you hear around you. Using this as a meter, Must Love Dogs is going to be a big success. Sitting in the theater I had three teenage girls in the row ahead of me with two women and an elderly couple in the row behind. So I got an earful of Ooohs and Aaahs in stereo. But even without this accurate means of measurement I can tell you that the film will be a smash.
 Must Love Dogs is a story about Sarah (Diane Lane) a preschool teacher whose husband, as Sarah says “just quit loving her”, has left her and re-married a younger woman. And no matter how much she wants to forget about men, her large Irish family all have perspective dates that they keep pushing on her. As anyone who comes from a large family, or is married into one, can tell you -- you are never along and EVERYONE has an opinion. This is the case with Sarah as her sister posts an internet personal ad for Sarah. That’s when it gets interesting.
Promoted as a Romantic Comedy, this movie lived up to the genre. But it was even funnier than most films in this category. This comes primarily from the one-liners and the interesting situations that Sarah finds herself in.
When I saw this movie I was on business travel and ended up at the theater by myself. However, when I get back home I will definitely take my wife to see it. This movie is great as a couples’ movie or for women (generally in groups). But I don’t think you will see too many men in the theater by themselves (well, of course unless they are doing a movie review :0).
 John Cusack provides his normal off-the-wall character as John Anderson; which for this script, fits in perfectly. He and Diane Lane are well matched and you aren’t sitting there wondering how these two could ever get together, as I have with some romantic comedies. A great supporting cast only added to my enjoyment of the film. Elizabeth Perkins (Carol) plays the perfect interfering sister who won’t give up on her Sarah. Christopher Plummer, who plays Sarah’s widowed father, Bill, adds a distinguished flavor to the story. At 70+ years, and having already experienced the “love of his life”, he gives everyone out there hope as he still ventures out into the dating world. And to complement Plummer’s character, Stockard Channing (Dolly) provides an excellent performance and the women’s view to accompany Plummer’s.
What I really liked about the movie was that regardless of all the disappoints, in both Diane and John’s lives, they still had hope in love (of course they had to be pushed initially). But his is kind of like life and also our relationship with God. Without love life really doesn’t have much meaning. The importance of love in our lives has been evident since the beginning of mankind. There are probably more quotes about love than anything else. Some of the earliest quotes capture this theme. Even as far back as Aristotle “Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
 So I am not surprised that Must Love Dogs will be a big hit. Combine comedy, the continuing search for love, and some good acting to bring this story to light; and you have a recipe for success.
At one point, during a Confirmation party for his grandson, Christopher Plummer’s character quotes a poem by William Butler Yeats, called Brown Penny. I don’t normally quote poems in my review, but I thought this one captured the essence of the film’s theme so eloquently.
I whispered, 'I am too young,'
And then, 'I am old enough';
Wherefore I threw a penny
To find out if I might love.
'Go and love, go and love, young man,
If the lady be young and fair.'
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
I am looped in the loops of her hair.
O love is the crooked thing,
There is nobody wise enough
To find out all that is in it,
For he would be thinking of love
Till the stars had run away
And the shadows eaten the moon.
Ah, penny, brown penny, brown penny,
One cannot begin it too soon.
 This summarizes the storyline and the Message in the Movie. A penny represents the chance that we all take in life. Like tossing a penny in the air we are uncertain if it is the right time or that we may be too young (or too old) for love. But as the movie shows us, love does not care about your age or where you are in life. And as the film proves, if you find love, don’t give up and instead get lost in it (looped). But don’t think about it too much or you may lose sight of why you are in love – stay lost in the dream (till the stars run away). As with Sarah and John, take a risk -- throw your penny out there and see what you get in return. Have fun with this movie, and take someone you love to it.
—Comment on the blog
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