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Movies / On DVD / Sleeping Dogs Lie
Sleeping Dogs Lie

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Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)

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Reviews Counted:50

Fresh:32

Rotten:18

Average Rating:6.1/10

Consensus: Though Sleeping Dogs Lie treats its subject and characters humanely, it's unable to overcome the low-budget production and Bobcat Goldthwait's pedestrian directing.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for strong and aberrant sexual content, drug use and language.

Runtime: 89 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Oct 20, 2006 Limited

Synopsis: Bobcat Goldthwait, the frantic, shrieking comedian who gained fame in several POLICE ACADEMY films, follows up his debut feature as a writer-director--1992's SHAKES THE CLOWN--with SLEEPING DOGS... Bobcat Goldthwait, the frantic, shrieking comedian who gained fame in several POLICE ACADEMY films, follows up his debut feature as a writer-director--1992's SHAKES THE CLOWN--with SLEEPING DOGS LIE, a surprisingly tender romantic black comedy. Melinda Page Hamilton gives a terrific lead performance as Amy, a young woman with a deep, dark secret, something very stupid that she did in college. Eight years later, as her relationship with John (Bryce Johnson) intensifies, she considers telling him what she did, as he believes in total honesty. When she finally does, her entire world comes crashing down. Her rather strange mother (a very funny Bonita Friedericy) and hunk of a father (Geoff Pierson) won't speak to her; her drug-addicted loser of a brother, Dougie (Jack Plotnick), revels in her failure and agony; and John is not sure he can spend the rest of his life with someone who has committed such an outrageous act, even if it was a silly mistake that she regrets. Amy, a teacher, finds solace in Ed (Colby French), a coworker going through his own marital problems, but everyone else has abandoned her. Goldthwait has written and directed a very funny, very poignant film, one that looks seriously at the meaning and importance of truth and honesty--and when it is okay to keep some things to oneself. The supporting cast is excellent, including a wry turn by comedian Brian Posehn as Randy, Dougie's drug-addled dealer, who has a crush on Amy. The soundtrack features "You Got It" by Roy Orbison, who actually figures prominently in the rather twisted but charming plot. [More]

Starring: Melinda Page Hamilton, Bryce Johnson, Geoffrey Pierson, Colby French

Starring: Melinda Page Hamilton, Bryce Johnson, Geoffrey Pierson, Colby French, Jack Plotnick, Bonita Friedericy, Brian Posehn, Morgan Murphy, Steve Agee

Director: Bob Goldthwait

Director: Bob Goldthwait
Producer: Marty Pasetta Jr.
Composer: Gerald Brunskill
Studio: IDP Distribution

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Release:

Apr 10, 2007

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Reviews for Sleeping Dogs Lie

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1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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A warm, mature, thought-provoking film that is, at times, surreal, often hilarious and ultimately very touching. Nice one, Bobcat.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/30/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

Goldthwait -- his motives always suspect -- has made a very watchable movie out of a very strange subject.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
10/19/06
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This shabbily shot comedy about the limits of being truthful is essentially a one-joke premise that spirals into an uncomfortable series of situations.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
11/15/06
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

This low-budget comedy-drama may not have the glossiest of coats, but nor is it the dog you might be expecting.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
03/16/07
Anton Bitel
Anton Bitel
Channel 4 Film

An evenly paced, gently acted and subdued black comedy with a subversive moral at its heart.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
03/16/07
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]

The story of a woman who confides in her fiancé that she once gave her dog a blow job, Dogs had the potential to be a raunchfest, but Goldthwait's take is much more affecting.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
09/28/06
Sara Brady
Sara Brady
Premiere Magazine

We can hear the French barking "auteur" already... Beneath the profanely preposterous premise, Stay is a rather sweet and conventional love story that perambulates around the notions of trust and acceptance.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
09/01/06
Duane Byrge
Duane Byrge
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

stays on the periphery of the issues and never attempts to really plunge into the psychosis of these situations

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/19/06
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

The final line of the film is far wiser than the person who first discovered that 'honesty' and 'policy' rhymed. It's too bad it's an afterthought instead of an exclamation point.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
01/27/06
Erik Childress
Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com

Hamilton is wonderful as the bruised victim of an oedipal insanity for truth.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
03/16/07
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]

The jet-black comedy has a surprising sweetness that counter-balances the profoundly disgusting plot.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
09/30/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

A bestiality rom-com with unexpected charm. Not quite the dog’s bollocks, but certainly no dog’s dinner either.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
03/16/07
Jane Crowther
Jane Crowther
Total Film

There really isn't much of a premise in this flat romantic sex comedy which tends to lose its way as it goes along.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
10/19/06
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

Stay mostly lacks cinematic vision, as the direction utilizes similar set-ups found in any primetime sitcom, which discourages any room for comment. With that said, however, Stay is a nice little film that marks a big step-up for Goldthwait.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/24/06
Michael Ferraro
Michael Ferraro
Film Threat

A scrappily funny and observant takeoff on the secrets that complete even the ''normal'' among us.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/18/06
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I can't think of another film that so directly and actively tackles the question of the actual value of honesty.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
01/10/07
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Anchored, and essentially redeemed, by a fearless performance from Melinda Page Hamilton.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
02/15/09
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

The uncomfortable message sent by Bobcat Goldthwait's lean, subversive comedy Sleeping Dogs Lie is how easy it is to gross out people who think they're so swinging and cool.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
10/19/06
Stephen Holden
Stephen Holden
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's not like Amy was a serial canine abuser, for crying out loud. Had she been, the movie would be much more disgusting but also a lot more interesting and potentially more funny.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
11/03/06
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

John Waters Meets "Sleepless in Seattle" in this sweet, at-times "tasteless" comic concoction about romance, reputation, the need to confess, and the yearning of society to pigeonhole everyone with a one-dimensional label.

Full Review Source: New York Theatre Wire | comment Comment
08/25/06
Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell
New York Theatre Wire
 
 
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