Year of the DogMovie Reviews

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Avg. Critic Score: 70 out of 100 Generally favorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
13 OK for kids 13+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 91
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    I mean no impertinence when I say that as a portrait of love and grief, writer-director Mike White's exceptional film Year of the Dog deserves the same admiration accorded Joan Didion's exceptional memoir "The Year of Magical Thinking." Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Ruthe Stein

    One of those quirky little movies that you marvel ever got made. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    An engaging tragicomedy, exploring the consequences of single-minded fervor in a humorous and humane fashion. Read full review

  • 70
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    White delivers another weirdly dark-but-funny story. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter |

    Overall, Year of the Dog evinces an appealing sentimentality without being maudlin or only puppy-dog cute. Read full review

  • 70
    The New York Times | Manohla Dargis

    It's funny ha-ha but firmly in touch with its downer side, which means it's also funny in a kind of existential way. Read full review

  • 70
    Los Angeles Times | Kevin Crust

    With pathos competing equally against the often pungent laughs for the audience's attention, it's a movie that is both unsettling and amusing, most comparable to "Chuck & Buck" in tone. Read full review

  • 70
    Variety |

    A satisfying and funny, if ironic, comedy intended for lovers of both the beast and/or sophisticated laughs. Read full review

  • 63
    Philadelphia Inquirer | Carrie Rickey

    Shannon is flawless. Read full review

  • 63
    Boston Globe | Wesley Morris

    Shannon gives the movie its inner life. Maybe the movie will give her back her comedy career. Read full review

View more reviews for Year of the Dog on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 13+ SNL alum shines as grieving, lonely animal lover.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this dramedy chronicles a pet lover's transformation into a hardcore animal-rights activist. The film portrays veganism and animal adoption positively and casts a negative light on game hunting, wearing fur, and eating meat. Molly Shannon's character is socially awkward and incredibly lonely, so there are some tear-jerking scenes of her after her beloved dog's accidental death. Children who have pets and/or love animals may be disturbed by photographic images of animal cruelty, a wall of mounted stuffed animals, and three instances of pets dying.
  • Families can talk about how Peggy's character is portrayed. Does the movie link her depression with "craziness"? Is that accurate? What do you think about her belief that humans disappoint but animals always have love to give. Is it healthy for someone to love their pet(s) more than other humans? Families can also discuss how the media deals with social issues like animal rights. Are movies and TV shows an appropriate forum to deal with those issues? Why or why not? Was Peggy justified in taking her niece to the animal sanctuary? What about when she ruins her sister-in-law's fur coats? Kids: What do you think about animal rights?
The good stuff
  • message true0 Positive messages: Peggy forges her boss' signature to donate funds to animal-rights charities but later apologizes. The heartbreak of losing her dog results in Peggy discovering her inner animal activist.
What to watch for
  • violence false0 Violence: Images of animals used in lab tests are shown on a computer. Disturbing scenes of a dog near death and its owner's overwhelming grief. Off-screen, an aggressive dog kills a much smaller one, and viewers see another crying pet owner. A small child is told that pigs and chickens are murdered to be her food.
  • sex false0 Sex: A couple makes out loudly in front of Peggy. Layla wears low-cut tops. Peggy and Newt share an awkward kiss. Al's girlfriend does a sexy dance.
  • language false3 Language: Sparingly used: "bitch" (in the "dog way"), "piss," "cripple," "hell." Peggy compares a slaughterhouse to the Holocaust.
  • consumerism false3 Consumerism: Several brands are occasionally featured: Mercedes, Oompa Toys, Gymboree, and Victoria's Secret,
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false3 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Peggy gets drunk on New Year's Eve (while babysitting) and has wine on a date. Layla suggests getting "wasted" and offers Peggy the anti-anxiety drug Xanax before taking it herself.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Year of the Dog Movie Ratings + Reviews

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