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"DOG PARK"
(1999) (Luke Wilson, Natasha Henstridge) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Moderate Minor Heavy None None
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild None None *None Heavy
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Heavy Minor None Mile Minor


QUICK TAKE:
Romantic Comedy: A self-described serial monogamist finds himself falling for the host of a children's TV show, who wants nothing to do with him, after both find themselves recently being dumped by their significant others.
PLOT:
Andy (LUKE WILSON) is a self-described serial monogamist and classified ad writer who's recently been dumped by his girlfriend, Cheryl (KATHLEEN ROBERTSON). She's moved out with their dog, Mogley, in favor of Trevor (GORDON CURRIE), a punk rocker with a penchant for routinely changing his hair color. The fact that they have joint custody of the dog, however, sends the recently split couple and their pooch to Dr. Cavan (MARK McKINNEY), a renowned animal psychologist.

Having dinner at a singles bar, Andy's bad fortune seems to change when he meets Lorna (NATASHA HENSTRIDGE), a.k.a. Ms. Bookworm, the host of a children's TV show. She's recently been dumped as well, and despite her believing Andy's genuine friendliness to be a come on, she returns home with him. Even so, nothing happens as she gets sick from a bit too much drinking that night.

Andy immediately falls for her, but she's embarrassed about the night before and decides not to see him again. This is despite the advice of her friend, Rachel (AMIE CAREY), who tells Lorna that dating gets tougher the older one gets. Nonetheless, Lorna ends up going out with an odd character, Callum (HARLAND WILLIAMS), who picks her up in a video store.

Meanwhile, Andy's good friend and coworker, Jeri (JANEANE GAROFALO), and her steady boyfriend, Jeff (BRUCE McCULLOCH), encourage Andy to return to the dating scene. As such, and after being bought by Keiran (KRISTIN LEHMAN) at a charity auction, Andy starts dating her and she soon moves in with him.

He still longs for Lorna, however, and upon seeing her and her dog, Peanut, in the local dog park, hopes that something might work out between them. As this continues and the dog owners prepare for their pets' big graduation day from obedience school, the romantic lives of all those involved become more complicated than any initially imagined they could be.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Fans of the show "Kids in the Hall" (from which the director and one of the actors originated) or anyone else in the cast might draw some teens, but it's unlikely this film will be on most kids "must see" lists.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For sexuality and language
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • LUKE WILSON plays a classified ad writer who falls for Lorna due to him being a self-described serial monogamist. When she doesn't return her romantic intentions, he begins dating and having lots of sex with Keiran. He also briefly uses strong profanity.
  • NATASHA HENSTRIDGE plays the host of a children's TV show who's looking for romance, but turns down Andy's advances for no apparent good reason.
  • KATHLEEN ROBERTSON plays Andy's ex-girlfriend who dumped him for another guy with whom she has sex.
  • GORDON CURRIE plays that guy, a punk rocker who changes the color of his hair several times when not having sex with Cheryl.
  • JANEANE GAROFALO plays Andy's friend and coworker who hopes to help Andy find as good a relationship as she thinks she has.
  • BRUCE McCULLOCH plays her steady boyfriend who turns out to be cheating on her.
  • KRISTIN LEHMAN plays Andy's new girlfriend who appears to be something of a sex addict and briefly uses strong profanity and smokes a few times.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a quick look at the content found in this R-rated romantic comedy. Profanity is heavy due to several uses of the "f" word, while other profanities and a few colorful phrases are also present. A sexual encounter with movement and sounds but no nudity is seen, while glimpses of sexual material from a porno tape are also seen. Other sexually related dialogue is present as is some nudity (bare butts of men and women, the latter before a sexual encounter) and a female character wears tightfitting and/or short clothing.

    Beyond all of that, people having drinks, some brief smoking and some bad attitudes (mainly a guy cheating on his steady girlfriend), however, the film's other categories have relatively little or nothing in the way of objectionable material. Should you still be concerned with the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who wishes to see this film, we suggest that you take a closer look at the listed content.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Andy finds an empty wine bottle in the trash outside the building where his ex-girlfriend is with her new boyfriend.
  • People have beer and shots in a bar where Lorna orders a double Scotch and Andy then downs a shot of tequila. Later, she gets physically sick, apparently from drinking too much.
  • Andy chugs beer from a can before going out and being "sold" at a charity auction (where some female buyers have drinks).
  • In a bar Andy has a drink while we see that Keiran's had a martini.
  • Cavan gives Lorna a dog treat to entice her dog to respond and states that it's like "doggie crack cocaine."
  • When asked what's good at his restaurant, a waiter replies, "The booze." As such, Andy, Keiran, Jeri and Jeff all order drinks.
  • People have drinks in a bar.
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • We see and hear Lorna vomiting in a toilet (but don't see any of the vomit).
  • Andy, Jeri and Jeff look for some dog droppings, but we don't see any of them.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • Cheryl has both for dumping Andy in favor of Trevor and then wanting to get back with him when things don't work out with the punk rocker.
  • We see that someone stole most of Andy's bike.
  • Keiran continues to smoke and makes a snide remark to a waiter (her ex-boyfriend) when he tells her she can't smoke in the restaurant.
  • We learn that Jeff is having an affair with Rachel.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • None.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • None.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "Roll in the hay" (for sex), "Shut up," "Loser," "Sissy," "Nuts" (crazy), "Screwed up" and "Freak."
  • Lorna returns to Andy's place for some presumed fooling around (we see them making out) after having just met him and not knowing anything about him.
  • Trevor is a punk rocker who changes the color of his hair throughout the film (orange, then blue, etc...).
  • JUMP SCENES
  • None.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • None.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • A few songs play that contain lyrics that can't be understood (thus having the possibility of containing objectionable material).
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 2 "f" words with another possible one (with one being used sexually as is the term "pumping"), 4 "s" words, 5 asses (3 used with "hole"), and 5 uses of "God," 4 of "Oh my God" and 1 use each of "Jesus Christ," "My God," "Honest to God" and "Oh God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see Cheryl sitting on Trevor's lap on a bed, making out with him (both are clothed, but the straps of her top are down below her shoulders). She then pushes him down to the bed while still on top of him (but nothing else happens). Outside, Andy comments on this (he can't see anything) by saying that some flesh touching, some tongues and some sweat are occurring inside. He then mentions people who grope and have sex.
  • Lorna returns home with Andy and they begin making out (sitting up and fully clothed). She then puts her head down to his lap (out of the camera shot) where it appears oral sex is going to be involved (but it turns out she's sick).
  • After Lorna tells Rachel that she met Andy and went back to his place, Rachel asks if she slept with him (she didn't).
  • Trevor starts watching a porn film titled "The Pipe Fitter." In it, a woman states "There's no way you can kill me with that thing" (while looking at the title character's clothed crotch). He then states, "It's all in the line of duty." Suddenly Lorna shows up on the tape (having recorded over the porn program) to give a message to Trevor and Cheryl (since Trevor used to be Lorna's boyfriend). During her talk, we see a brief return to the porn film where it looked like a woman giving oral sex to a man, and at the end we briefly see and hear a woman having sex (mainly a head and shoulders shot of her). During this, Lorna also shows a bit of cleavage.
  • Part of a classified ad is read where it mentions a "roll in the hay."
  • Dr. Cavan asks Cheryl what type of bedroom activity her dog has been witness to and then adds that he thinks that the pooch has "seen too many long and physically aggressive sessions of wild sex" and that the dog doesn't "know how really pleasurable all that stuff can be for you. He only sees the pushing and pulling and hears the shrieking and thinks there's trouble." Cavan then asks what kind of sexual activity the dog may be exposed to at his home and Andy states that "it's not the wild and out of control sex" taking place at Cheryl's place.
  • In a bar, Keiran does a seductive/sensual dance for Andy (in her skintight and very short dress). She then asks Andy why women in porn films always wear their shoes (he replies to keep their feet from getting cold). She then asks Andy if he wants to go back to his place so that he can have the "home bed advantage."
  • Back at his place, Keiran pulls up her short dress to reveal her wearing some rather skimpy panties that she then removes (we see this from behind her and thus briefly see her bare butt). Indicating her crotch, she tells him, "Citizen, you've got work to do" and we then see her hop up on him as they stand up against a wall. We then see her on top of him in bed with plenty of movement and sexual sounds (with the dog watching) but no nudity as the bed's covers hide those parts of their bodies (the sex is seen from two angles, one a mostly head and shoulders shot and the other an "aerial" view of their encounter).
  • When Jeri asks about the above date, Andy replies that he got "Ninja f*cked."
  • After Lorna offers to buy Callum dinner, he declines, stating that if he allowed that, she might feel entitled to have sex with him.
  • There's a long bit where Trevor and Cheryl repeatedly ask each other whether they want to have sex first and then eat, or vice versa. During this, she suggests that she be on top and then they could go and eat. He replies that they could go and eat and then he could be on top of her.
  • Back at Dr. Cavan's, Cheryl reports that the sex between her and Trevor has essentially stopped and that what sex occurs is routine (and then adds "left hand on right breast...clockwise, one, two, three...spit on the hand..."). She then comments that Andy "has been pumping the nutritionist who bought him at an auction."
  • Keiran wears an ultra-tight halter-like top that clearly shows her ample breasts beneath it (although there's no nudity).
  • Keiran says that she could make up being mean to Andy by having sex and he replies, "Let's have sex -- that's a rare idea. All we do is have sex." He then adds that he believes she'll kill him if one day he can't perform.
  • Keiran repeats the question about why women in porn films wear shoes to Andy, Jeri and Jeff.
  • Rachel listens to the phone message from Jeff where he tells her not to wash because he wants her dirty (for their later encounter).
  • We briefly see Trevor's bare butt as he lies in bed.
  • Keiran announces that it's their anniversary and it will be the fiftieth time that she and Andy have had sex (and she does another seductive dance for him while wearing a short dress). Even so, nothing happens.
  • When a young man announces that he's getting married, Rachel wonders how pregnant his fiancé is (she's not).
  • SMOKING
  • Keiran smokes several times, while background characters smoke in bars.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • None.
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • The fact that Lorna returns to Andy's place for some presumed fooling around (we see them making out) after having just met him and not knowing anything about him.
  • Dating.
  • People who treat their pets like children.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Andy and Jeff briefly struggle on the floor of a racquetball court.



  • Reviewed September 23, 1999 / Posted September 24, 1999

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