Year of the Dog

So, I finally rented "Year of the Dog".




I've been wanting to see it since it came out last April. It struck a nerve with me as the main character, Peggy, lived with her beloved dog. One night, the dog, Pencil, gets out of the yard and is poisoned. He dies the next morning. Through her grief, Peggy begins to volunteer at the local animal shelter and finds veganism by the example of a fellow volunteer. Her veganism leads her to the plight of exploited animals and she becomes über-hardcore about her beliefs. To the point of alienating those around her, imo.

I've heard mixed reviews about this movie, especially from fellow AR vegans, in that the film portrays vegans in a negative light and highlighted the stereotypes rather than the wonderful mix of people we are. So, I tried to be objective about the film and really wanted to like it. I mean, Peggy loves her dog, lost him to an untimely death, became vegan, and interested in animal rights. Something I've had experience with.

Well.....within the first ten minutes of the movie, I hated the film. It was so off the mark as to be laughable. Not to mention the alliance with PeTA. Ugh. Though I wanted to turn off the dvd, I felt compelled to watch the movie all the way through, hoping she'd redeem herself by the end. Nope. And not a single likable character. After finishing the film I had a massive headache and the urge to punch walls. Anything to purge it from my brain. Mark, Linda, and I are all in agreement it was wretched movie. I will never watch this movie again. Not to mention anything directed by Mike White. Gah. I was going to find a clip on youtube, to feature in my blog, but I don't even want to taint my page (any more than I have) with the film. Just horrible and terribly disappointing.

The official website is: www.yearofthedogmovie.com.

GAH! Worst movie ever.

On the flip side, we watched "Stranger Than Fiction before Year of the Dog", and it was superb. Glad we bought that dvd and not the latter.