Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Dog

Play trailer Poster for The Dog Released Aug 8, 2014 1h 41m Documentary LGBTQ+ Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 58 Reviews 68% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
A documentary about John Wojtowicz shows the man who tried to rob a Brooklyn bank to pay for his male lover's sex-reassignment surgery, a robbery that prompted the film "Dog Day Afternoon."

Where to Watch

The Dog

The Dog

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Fascinating, evocative, and as unconventional as its subject, The Dog offers a colorful window into the real-life story behind a classic film.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (58) Critics Reviews
J. R. Jones Chicago Reader Questions of identity reverberate through The Dog, a documentary by Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren that chronicles Wojtowicz's storied and terribly sad life. Rated: 3/4 Oct 2, 2014 Full Review Wesley Morris Grantland There's a brashness to this documentary that sneaks up on you. Aug 21, 2014 Full Review Steve Davis Austin Chronicle Try as you may, however, you can't turn away from this obscure footnote in pop culture history, even at his most aggravating. It's that twisted thing we call celebrity. Rated: 3/5 Aug 21, 2014 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com There's a rich wealth of archival footage, but there's more power in the amount of genuine warmth the filmmakers were able to cull from Wojtowicz and his fiercely loyal mother. Rated: 3/5 Aug 30, 2019 Full Review Paul Freitag-Fey Daily Grindhouse An expertly-crafted documentary on a riveting subject, and one that leaves you only wanting more than its 105 minutes could show. Aug 2, 2019 Full Review Josh Goller Spectrum Culture The Dog is a fascinating character study of a hapless man who lived for decades in the shadow of his own myth. Rated: 3.75/5 Jul 18, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (23) audience reviews
Audience Member At some point during this movie your mouth will open and it will stay there. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member The true story behind Dog Day Afternoon is way crazier than you imagine. John Wjtowicz was a dirty old man, a self-aggrandizer, and a gay rights pioneer (who knew?). This documentary is a hair too long, but always entertaining. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member The documentary "The Dog" tails the tale of the late John Wojtowicz; the real life homosexual bank robber who the hit 70's film "Dog Day Afternoon" is based on. As presented in "Dog Day Afternoon", Wojtowicz' committed a bank robbery in early 70's in New York, along with two amateurs, to pay for his boyfriend's sex change operation. In the doc "The Dog", Wojtowicz is presented as an outlandish, outspoken New Yorkan who had no regrets about his crime; and also does not restraint himself on telling all the ins & outs of his homosexual lifestyle. Directors Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren had a bit of bark in the making of the documentary but not enough bite. Sure, they do interview plenty of players involved in that infamous bank robbery including Wojtowicz's ex-boyfriends, his ex- wife, and the amateur would-be robber who chickened out. But somehow, I felt "The Dog" tried to bite more than it could chew by stating too many mundane happenings. Nevertheless, you attica check it out if you are going through one of those dog days; just beware of some of "The Dog" drawbacks I warned you about. *** Average Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member John Wojtowicz, the bank robber whose story was told in "Dog Day Afternoon", tells his story ... a much bigger story than the one told in the Lumet flm. Wojtowicz takes us through his discovery of his homosexuality while serving in the army, his first marriage and first divorce, his involvement in the early gay rights movement, his involvement in one of the first same-sex marriages to be performed in NYC, and the events that drove him to rob the bank. He's the center of the film, and his unbelievably entertaining in a manner that only a New Yorker can be. He's also unbelievably frank ... at one point he nonchalantly tells us that his nickname was due to his really small penis. Watch this film. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member This is probably the most f*cked up documentary I have ever watched. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member 'The Dog' is a very entertaining documentary about the man and the story behind the iconic 70s movie 'Dog Day Afternoon'. I like following the aftermath of the real life robbery like this is an unofficial sequel. 'Dog Day', one of my all time favorites, is so great that the documentary can't reach the greatness of the 70s classic but this documentary is still fascinating. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Dog

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

Kiki 83% 50% Kiki Watchlist TRAILER for Kiki Chemsex 95% 64% Chemsex Watchlist God Loves Uganda 100% 77% God Loves Uganda Watchlist Rebels on Pointe 100% 86% Rebels on Pointe Watchlist TRAILER for Rebels on Pointe Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood 85% 57% Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Watchlist TRAILER for Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A documentary about John Wojtowicz shows the man who tried to rob a Brooklyn bank to pay for his male lover's sex-reassignment surgery, a robbery that prompted the film "Dog Day Afternoon."
Director
Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren
Distributor
Drafthouse Films
Production Co
Unleashed Films
Genre
Documentary, LGBTQ+
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 8, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$44.6K
Runtime
1h 41m
Most Popular at Home Now