REVIEW: ‘Dog Days’

What is it about dogs that brings us so much joy?

A new film explores the human/dog connection and how it intertwines with our everyday relationships.

Now, I am not going to lie to you. This movie is not going to cause you to reevaluate life. The acting is not going to land an Academy Award. But what this movie will deliver is about two hours of super cute dogs, a few laughs, and an escape from the actual dog days of summer.

When it comes to script, ‘Dog Days‘ is as predictable as it gets when it comes to a romantic comedy.

But, what it does differently than other movies of its genre is intertwine two, maybe three, concurrent storylines – which I both liked and didn’t like.

Director: Ken Marino; Cast: Nina Dobrev, Vanessa Hudgens, Finn Wolfhard; Rated: PG

Set in Los Angeles, the multiple storylines begin with Elizabeth (Nina Dobrev) who is a charming but rigid newscaster settling into single life after she and her pooch caught her boyfriend cheating. After interviewing a dog therapist on air, Elizabeth starts seeing the therapist for her “dog,” because he’s obviously not taking the breakup well.

And, on top of all her drama, the lone anchor is forced to co-anchor her show with the super-hot, super-sweet former NFL star Jimmy Johntson (Tone Bell).

The second storyline is about Tara (Vanessa Hudgens), a spunky barista who spends her days dreaming of a life beyond the coffee shop with the hunky narcissistic vet Dr. Mike (Michael Cassidy). Tara gets her in with Dr. Hottie when she rescues a stray dog.

Bianca Montes is the assistant editor/digital editor at People Newspapers.
Out and About is a staff-generated blog that details our experiences in the community.

And, the less obvious storyline is about Dax (Adam Pally), the dubbed irresponsible man-child, who finds himself having to grow up and take care of his sister’s dog when she delivers twins.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers here, but we all know how romantic comedies work, right?

Tension, tension, tension, breakup, emotional awakening, happy ending.

The best part of having more than one storyline is that there’s likely a character anyone would relate to – for me it was an injured chihuahua. The worst part is that any time spent on these other characters, which also includes a couple adopting a child and a lonely old man who loses his dog, is time not spent on character development.

However, I will say that if you’re looking for a movie that is familiar, that will make you laugh, and that will give you one hour and fifty minutes of no care-in-the-world syndrome; this is it.

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Bianca R. Montes

Bianca Montes is an award-winning journalist and former Managing Editor of Park Cities People. She currently serves as a Senior Editor with D Magazine's D CEO publication. You can reach her by email at Bianca.Montes@Dmagazine or follow her on Instagram @Bianca_TBD. For the latest news, click here to sign up for our newsletter.

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