Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Dog Days Review



The best word to describe Dog Days is "FORCED." The comedy was forced. The chemistry was forced. The storyline was forced, as well as predictable! 

The comedy was forced and fell flat throughout most of the film, with only a few people laughing at most of the jokes. Some scenes were simply overkill, while others were just not that funny. The chemistry between the characters was also pretty off. For example, there was something awkward in Tyler's (Finn Wolfhard) face when interacting with Jones (Ron Cephas Jones). 

Additionally, the script and delivery of lines seemed forced throughout the movie. This I think really falls on the screenplay writers (Elissa Matsueda and Erica Oyama) and the directing of Ken Marino. Overall, I think the actors did the best they could with the script, though to no avail. Though Ron Cephas Jones stood out in his scenes and seemed to pull off his storyline well. It was almost like a different and much better film, even with some of Wolfhard's awkward faces. Perhaps this is because many of Jones' scenes were not comedic scenes, and maybe that was their saving grace!

The storyline was tragic! First of all, the film was all too predictable! I predicted pretty much every twist and end result throughout the film. It made me more and more frustrated as I continued to watch the film unfold. Further, the way they intertwined the storylines was pretty lazy and unrealistic. In fact, my biggest laugh of the night was when someone behind me asked out loud if the vet was the only vet in the city! It was poor timing because our 2 rows couldn't stop giggling and the scene immediately following was supposed to be a very sad scene with one of the main characters crying.  

Even worse, Elizabeth (Nina Dobrev) and Jimmy's (Tone Bell) relationship was way too forced and unbelievable. I suppose this is what happens when a film is trying to manage several different storylines in less than 2 hours and wants to build up a love/hate interaction into a relationship, break-up said relationship, bring back said relationship, and then take said relationship to the next level; again while incorporating 4 whole other storylines within a film that is less than 2 hours. The relationship between Elizabeth and Jimmy really called for the audience to be emotionally invested, but it was simply not possible to get the audience there with the storyline and timeline of their relationship in the film. Without this emotional investment they seemed over the top both when falling in love and when falling out. 

The most believable and enjoyable relationship had to be Dax (Adam Pally) and his furry friend/nephew! That's right, the most enjoyable relationship was between a man and a dog. And while you may think that's expected in a film titled Dog Days, actually some in the audience believe the film could have been improved by having a greater focus on the dogs; because the human relationships were just not well-written and at least the dogs were cute! 

You can definitely wait for this one to hit Netflix, unless you're going just to see really cute dogs on the big screen!

4/10


Genre: Comedy
Release: August 10, 2018
Director: Ken Marino
Story by: Elissa Matsueda
Screenplay by: Elissa Matsueda and Erica Oyama
Cast: Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Adam Pally, Eva Longoria, Rob Corddy, Tone Bell, Jon Bass, Michael Cassidy, Thomas Lennon, Tig Notaro, Finn Wolfhard, Ron Cephas Jones
Production Company: LD Entertainment
Distributor: LD Entertainment

SYNOPSIS
From acclaimed production company LD Entertainment (The Zookeeper's Wife, Jackie, and Megan Leavey) and Director Ken Marino comes Dog DaysDog Days is a hilarious and heartfelt ensemble comedy that follows the lives of  multiple dog owners and their beloved fluffy pals around sunny Los Angeles. When these human and canine's paths start to intertwine, their lives bgin changing in ways they never expected. 

#DogDays