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My Life as a Dog

Play trailer Poster for My Life as a Dog 1987 1h 40m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A boy (Anton Glanzelius), obsessed with comparing himself with those less fortunate, experiences a different life at the home of his aunt and uncle (Tomas von Brömssen) in 1959 Sweden.
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My Life as a Dog

My Life as a Dog

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Critics Consensus

A coming-of-age story with uncommon depth and sensitivity, My Life as a Dog is sweet, sincere, and utterly charming.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Common Sense Media 12/26/2010
4/5
Good coming-of-age movie for older kids. Go to Full Review Michael Booth Denver Post 04/13/2007
A series of emotionally wrenching moments that made My Life as a Dog a transatlantic hit when it arrived in 1985. Go to Full Review Hal Hinson Washington Post 01/01/2000
A lot of the movie is routine coming-of-age stuff. Go to Full Review Michael D. Reid Victoria Times Colonist (B.C., Canada) 5h
4/5
Hallström paints his picture with alternating shades of brightness and darkness as the youngster journeys from childhood into adolescence, resulting in a film that is hilarious and deeply moving in equal measure. Go to Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) 11/16/2024
Captures puberty and childhood for a boy better than almost any other film Go to Full Review Ángel Fernández-Santos El Pais (Spain) 04/16/2020
A simple and captivating Swedish movie that has no precedents, especially when it comes to its masterful command of humor or pathos. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Aaron B @aaronbrowe Dec 7 One of my favorites See more tucker s Nov 14 My favorite movie of all time. If you are at all inclined to learn Swedish, it is worth it just to watch this film. It captures the very essence of Sweden and Swedishness. See more Donald D Aug 31 I would love to give a long description of how wonderful this film is but instead just watch it. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 4 Funny in 1 hour and 40 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Swedish and English audio versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Camero W 05/31/2024 Laughed and cried and loved See more Chris M 10/06/2022 An Oscar nominated coming of age story that still has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, but to fair to the modern critics. They probably saw the PG-13 dumbed down version because the original unrated version had very creepy elements. I general call "didn't age well" a dumb buzz phrase but there are a creepy scene in the first movie that goes too far with kids that were 11 and 14 that I am very happy was cut out of the PG-13 version. It's suppose to be a comedy drama that forgets the most important part of comedy, the set up. A "funny" situation that's not properly set up is not funny. Lie a scene where Ingemar ran away and starts a fire to keep warm a quick cut has the entire field a blaze. How did that happen, did he throw the match away too close to dry leaves, a hot ember? What? That's like saying "Knock, Knock" but jump to "Orange you glad I didn't say banana." The original unrated version was eeeewy and boring. This is free of the ewww but it's still boring. Again ART is more important than story or characters. See more Read all reviews
My Life as a Dog

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Cast & Crew

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Lasse Hallström

Director

Anton Glanzelius

Ingemar

Tomas von Brömssen

Morbror Gunnar

Melinda Kinnaman

Saga

Anki Lidén

Ingemar's mamma

Kicki Rundgren

Moster Ulla

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My Life as a Dog

My Life as a Dog (1985) My Life as a Dog (1985) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A boy (Anton Glanzelius), obsessed with comparing himself with those less fortunate, experiences a different life at the home of his aunt and uncle (Tomas von Brömssen) in 1959 Sweden.
Director
Lasse Hallström
Producer
Waldemar Bergendahl
Screenwriter
Lasse Hallström, Reidar Jönsson, Brasse Brännström, Pelle Berglund
Distributor
Skouras Pictures
Production Co
FilmTeknik, Svensk Filmindustri
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Swedish
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 24, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 2, 2017
Runtime
1h 40m
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