Year of the Dog

Play trailer

Year of the Dog

PG-13

2007

1h 38m

Comedy

Drama

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

70%

Tomatometer

143 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After her beloved beagle dies unexpectedly, an office worker named Peggy (Molly Shannon) looks for ways to fill the void in her life. Bringing in treats for her co-workers and fussing over other people's children fails to work, and when an ill-advised love affair with a gun fanatic (John C. Reilly) dies on the vine, she "goes to the dogs" in more ways than one.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Year of the Dog is a warm and quirky comedy that never condescends to its eccentric characters.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

The Times (UK)

What may catch audiences unawares is how unexpectedly life-affirming this little film about pet death is.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 22, 2007

Full Review

Helen O'Hara

Empire Magazine

The trailer suggests a cheery comedy but brace yourself for some darkness in this shaggy dog story.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 22, 2007

Full Review

Derek Malcolm

London Evening Standard

Loses its way, as if uncertain how to point out its moral and make us laugh at the same time.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 31, 2007

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Reminiscent of a public service announcement gone horribly awry, this film is a garbled mess of mixed perspectives, cheerless pathology, and dreadful cinematography.

Rated: 1/10

Nov 28, 2020

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

There are so many moments in Year of the Dog where it's nearly impossible to figure out whether to laugh or cry.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Aug 31, 2020

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

A mix of comedy and pathos, sporting a top-flight supporting cast...

May 20, 2020

Full Review

Read all reviews

Eleanor H

I was reminded of this Mike White film after seeing him at the 2023 Golden Globe awards. I am sure that he is getting lot's of positive attention because of White Lotus (which I have not yet seen). But, when I saw his face on my TV, I was reminded of Year of the Dog, his brilliant, lovely film. I was moved by it and highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has not yet seen it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Quirky but sweet film with terrific acting by all especially Molly Shannon. Each character had their obsessions and dealt with them as best they could. Dog lovers will fully understsnd Molly Shannons character.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I came upon this stinker on a local channel. There was nothing remotely funny, charming or likeable about anyone. We are supposed to sympathize with Shannon's character, and she just comes off as pathetic. The lame attempt a drama or dark humor was like watching meat rot. The direction was weak, the plot went nowhere. What a MESS. Even the cutesy Garden State twee music sucked. As an attempt at a "quirky comedy" of the kind that were so popular in the 00's, this really fell flat. And it was very depressing. Hell, I had to watch A Serbian Film to lift my mood. I like dark comedy, this wasn't it.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

mario m

The story started off a bit quirky and funny. Adding animals is always interesting. However, then the movie starts down an annoying and bit self-loathing path where it was hard to know where it was going. Peggy the main character loves her dog but then goes deep into the animal protection until it is unhealthy for her. It starts to meander a bit and while she gets out of her funk, and ends leaving us hanging like somehow her problems are solved without knowing what happened

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

this movie is based on great ideas which really don't materialize. Excruciatingly slow pace. Finished it feeling I'd wasted and hour and a half of my life.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A very fine, well done and pleasant portrayal about loneliness, sickly relationships with pets, objects, or people; and the seek of purposefulness on life. Every grown up person must watch movies like these, especially when life gets incomprehensible.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Mike White

Director

Molly Shannon

Peggy

Laura Dern

Bret

Regina King

Layla

Tom McCarthy

Pier

Peter Sarsgaard

Newt

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - Paradise Farm

2:11

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - How Did She Die?

1:45

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - PETA Petition

1:51

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - I Think We've Been Robbed

2:02

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - Newt and Peggy

2:00

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - Valentine Killed Buttons

2:10

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - Too Many Dogs

1:26

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - Love for Animals

2:12

Year of the Dog: Official Clip - Benadryl Baby

2:03

View more videos

Saved!

61%

78%

Saved!

Watchlist

Unconditional Love

29%

68%

Unconditional Love

Watchlist

Dirty Laundry

50%

68%

Dirty Laundry

Watchlist

The Next Best Thing

19%

35%

The Next Best Thing

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Next Best Thing

The Perfect Family

52%

36%

The Perfect Family

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Digital Multiplex: Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine and More

RTIndie: Indie Movie Glut Makes Screenings Tough In NYC

RT on DVD: Blades of Glory, Air Guitar Nation, and Heroes: Season 1 Arrive!

View more photos

Synopsis

After her beloved beagle dies unexpectedly, an office worker named Peggy (Molly Shannon) looks for ways to fill the void in her life. Bringing in treats for her co-workers and fussing over other people's children fails to work, and when an ill-advised love affair with a gun fanatic (John C. Reilly) dies on the vine, she "goes to the dogs" in more ways than one.

Director: Mike White
Producer: Mike White, Jack Black, Dede Gardner, Ben LeClair
Screenwriter: Mike White
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Plan B Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Some Suggestive References)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 13, 2007, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.5M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now