Year of the Dog

Tom McCarthy and Laura Dern of 'Year of the Dog.' Year of the Dog starts out as a sweet comedy about pets and the people who love them. Then it turns into a disturbing drama about humans and the cages that confine them.

Making his directorial debut, actor and writer Mike White ( School of Rock ) is torn between redemptive sentiment and satirical edge, like the proverbial dog with two bones. Whereas either choice could have been satisfying, the movie's temperamental nervousness might leave you feeling chewed up. Peggy (Molly Shannon) is an aging secretary at a soulless corporation in Southern California.

But she has a saving grace: her beagle pup, Pencil, with whom she shares a small home. With Pencil's unconditional love, she can smile about the uptight marriage of her brother and sister-in-law (Thomas McCarthy and Laura Dern), the romantic complaints of her co-worker Layla (Regina King) and the sniveling insecurity of her boss, Robin (Josh Pais). But when Pencil unexpectedly dies, the emptiness of Peggy's work and personal life becomes glaringly apparent.

She accepts a dinner date with her equally lonesome neighbor (John C. Reilly), who turns out to be an avid hunter. She throws herself at an emotionally closeted dog trainer (Peter Sarsgaard), who offers her instead of love a badly behaved German shepherd.

She latches on to animal-rights campaigns, even dragging her young niece to a slaughterhouse, and becomes increasingly oblivious to the financial and legal jeopardy she is putting herself in. When Peggy's obsessions resemble full-blown dementia, we wonder whether White is finally baring the fangs behind his placid mask. Few movies have better conveyed the creepiness of decorated cubicles and the superficial friendships that are formed during coffee breaks.

So while Shannon embodies her pathetic character so perfectly that we cringe at poor Peggy's fate, it seems to complete a sardonic statement. Then suddenly we're led astray by an ending that's like a happily wagging tail. Dog is on to something so bitingly funny, it's a shame it ends up pussyfooting.