Must Love Dogs [WS]

Director: Gary David Goldberg

Overview

A woman finds herself drafted into the battle of finding the perfect man in this romantic comedy. Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane) is a kindergarten teacher in her mid-thirties who is still dealing with the emotional aftermath of her divorce eight months ago. While her sisters, Christine (Ali Hillis) and Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), both think Sarah needs to start dating again, Sarah herself isn't so sure. Carol decides to force the issue by posting Sarah's photo and profile on an Internet dating site, and soon a number of seemingly eligible bachelors are sending her e-mails in hopes of a date. However, nearly every man she meets turns out to be a loser, with the exception of Jake (John Cusack), who is smart, good looking, and even brings along a dog for their walk in the park (though he doesn't tell her the pooch was borrowed for the occasion). However, Sarah also makes the acquaintance of Bob (Dermot Mulroney), the divorced father of one of her students, and she finds herself having to choose between two potentially worthwhile men. Meanwhile, Sarah's widowed father, Bill (Christopher Plummer), decides to give Internet dating a try, and lands himself a new steady in Dolly (Stockard Channing). Must Love Dogs is based on the best-selling novel of the same title by Claire Cook.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/08/2009
UPC:	0012569593459
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	43,793

Special Features

Closed Caption;Additional scenes - with optional commentary; Pass the Beef gag reel; Theatrical trailer; Languages: English & Fran?ais (dubbed in Quebec); Subtitles: English, Fran?ais & Espa?ol (feature film only)

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Diane Lane	Sarah
John Cusack	Jake
Elizabeth Perkins	Carol
Christopher Plummer	Bill
Dermot Mulroney	Bob
Stockard Channing	Dolly
Ali Hillis	Christine
Brad William Henke	Leo
Ben Shenkman	Charlie
Julie Gonzalo	June
Glenn Howerton	Michael
Jordana Spiro	Sherry
Victor Webster	Eric
Kirk Trutner	Deli Guy
Michael Spound	Marc
Will McCormack	Jason
Ted Griffin	Bill Jr.
Marylouise Burke	Aunt Eileen
Brad Hall	Stanley
Bobby Coleman	Austin
Emma Prescott	Molly
Jaden Sorensen	Justin
Will Rothhaar	Jeremy
Tony Bill	Walter
Patrick St. Esprit	Marshall
Josh Stamberg	Lennie
Anoush NeVart	Mrs. Parseghian
Krikor Satamian	Mr. Parseghian
Jon Lindstrom	Peter
Patrick Fabian	Donald
Steven R. Schirripa	Vinnie
Bess Wohl	Rebecca
Laura Kightlinger	Marcia
Rubria Martins-Negrao	Sonia
Colin Egglesfield	David
Suzy Nakamura	Mai
Jamie Denbo	Bertha
Miles Hull	Timmy
Amy Kidd	Jennifer
Ted Detwiler	Boat Guy
Kate McClafferty	Coxswain
Shana Hiatt	Hostess
Craig Armstrong	Composer

Technical Credits

Gary David Goldberg

Gary David Goldberg	Screenwriter,Producer
Jennifer Todd	Producer,Producer
Ronald Smith	Executive Producer
Grant Rosenberg	Executive Producer
Joanna Colbert	Casting
Patrick Kelly	Stunts
Debbi Mazor	Stunts
Brad Hall	Executive Producer
Randy Tambling	Key Grip
Bonnie Finnegan	Casting
Russell Solberg	Stunts
Albert Marangoni	Special Effects
Shaun Glendenning	Special Effects
Sandra M. Stewart	Special Effects
Michele Sebek	Stunts
Sonny Tipton	Stunts
Darlene Ava Williams	Stunts
David Kelson	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound Mixer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Must Love Dogs
1. Credits [2:04]
2. Divorced Duo [3:46]
3. Benched [4:29]
4. Mr. Incorrigible [3:39]
5. My Dad's Date [4:30]
6. On Offense on the Web [3:30]
7. Short Attention Spans [3:47]
8. Dog Park Rendezvous [4:10]
9. Hello, Dolly - and Bobby [3:26]
10. Happy Singalong [3:29]
11. Second Shots [3:14]
12. Everybody Except Us [5:45]
13. Date Reports [5:13]
14. Brown Penny [3:11]
15. Never Ready [3:02]
16. Just Friends [4:44]
17. Too Many Men [5:23]
18. Pole and Tap Dancing [5:19]
19. Guys Like You [5:36]
20. Cheer Me Up [2:59]
21. Not Quite Zhivago [4:58]
22. Nice Turn of Phrase [3:09]
23. Today's Special [3:49]
24. End Credits [4:27]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Must Love Dogs
Play Movie
Scene Selections
Special Features
Additional Scenes With Commentary by Screenwriter/Director Gary David Goldberg: On
Additional Scenes With Commentary by Screenwriter/Director Gary David Goldberg: Off
Pass the Beef Gag Reel
Theatrical Trailer
Languages
Spoken Languages: English 5.1
Spoken Languages: Français 5.1 (Doublé au Québec)
Subtitles: English
Subtitles: Français
Subtitles: Español
Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

Erstwhile child star and glamour girl Diane Lane, having gotten much better with age, seems perfectly comfortable these days with roles calling for maturity and worldliness -- qualities Hollywood doesn't necessarily appreciate in today's leading ladies. Lane is especially good in this breezy romantic comedy, playing a recent divorcée approaching middle age and dreading the dating scene. At the insistence of her pushy older sister (Elizabeth Perkins), she enrolls with an online dating service and begins seeing various men, one of whom (John Cusack) makes a shockingly weak first impression but fascinates her anyway. Director Gary David Goldberg, who also wrote the script, is a TV veteran whose hit series include Family Ties and Spin City. It shouldn't be surprising, therefore, that the situations and dialogue have the facile quality associated with sitcoms; at times it seems as though the characters aren't having authentic conversations but, rather, tossing one-liners at each other. Still, the lines are generally clever and the characters reasonably well drawn. Dermot Mulroney, for example, plays a single dad who woos Lane while simultaneously romancing one of her co-workers. It would have been easy to make him a two-dimensional creep, but to his credit, Goldberg makes the guy more likable than he needs to be. Lane, too, is depicted as judgmental and a bit too quick to bristle -- qualities with which all of us can relate but which aren't too off-putting. Somewhat less essential to the film's structure, but cleverly developed in its own right, is a subplot involving Lane's widowed father (Christopher Plummer) and his slightly frowsy girl friend (Stockard Channing). Obtrusive though it occasionally seems, this material hits a receptive chord because Goldberg makes us care about the oldsters and gives them an equal share of snappy things to say. But this is Lane's show all the way; she effortlessly dominates every scene she's in, and you can't help but love her character even when she's being snotty. Noël Coward it ain't, but Must Love Dogs is a smart, sassy comedy for those old enough to appreciate how tough it can be to begin life's second act.