A warm, mature, thought-provoking film that is, at times, surreal, often hilarious and ultimately very touching. Nice one, Bobcat.
Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)
Tomatometer
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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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Reviews for Sleeping Dogs Lie
Goldthwait -- his motives always suspect -- has made a very watchable movie out of a very strange subject.
This shabbily shot comedy about the limits of being truthful is essentially a one-joke premise that spirals into an uncomfortable series of situations.
This low-budget comedy-drama may not have the glossiest of coats, but nor is it the dog you might be expecting.
An evenly paced, gently acted and subdued black comedy with a subversive moral at its heart.
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.
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.
stays on the periphery of the issues and never attempts to really plunge into the psychosis of these situations
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.
Hamilton is wonderful as the bruised victim of an oedipal insanity for truth.
The jet-black comedy has a surprising sweetness that counter-balances the profoundly disgusting plot.
A bestiality rom-com with unexpected charm. Not quite the dog’s bollocks, but certainly no dog’s dinner either.
There really isn't much of a premise in this flat romantic sex comedy which tends to lose its way as it goes along.
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.
A scrappily funny and observant takeoff on the secrets that complete even the ''normal'' among us.
I can't think of another film that so directly and actively tackles the question of the actual value of honesty.
Anchored, and essentially redeemed, by a fearless performance from Melinda Page Hamilton.
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.
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.
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.
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