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
An inexplicable sleeper hit on the festival circuit, this one-joke movie's bestiality premise is all you'll remember after the credits roll.
Wafer-thin -- it has about as much depth as your average sitcom -- Sleeping Dogs Lie mixes standard dysfunctional family comedy with sappy romantic moments, albeit none too successfully.
Sleeping Dogs Lie is worse than offensive, it's boring, and these busy days that's really unforgivable.
Sleeping Dogs Lie does collar big laughs for anyone who isn't skeeved out by the whole idea.
[Director] Goldthwait explores his themes more thoughtfully than you'd expect, but ultimately, we know just how things will end. And what's subversive about that?
Not a great film but a darn interesting one, Sleeping Dogs Lie is also probably the most discreet of this season's outrageous sex movies.
There’s no way around it, but the movie’s modest success is undercut by its micro budget and Goldthwait’s pedestrian direction.
There are no laughs to be had here, unless you count nervous titters and frat-boy sniggers at the very thought of, you know.
Possesses a quick wit and an endearing tenderness toward Amy as honesty wrecks her life. It's sweet, doggone it.
There really isn't much of a premise in this flat romantic sex comedy which tends to lose its way as it goes along.
Goldthwait -- his motives always suspect -- has made a very watchable movie out of a very strange subject.
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.
Rather than the escalating gross-out spectacular it could have been, Sleeping Dogs Lie is an unexpectedly thoughtful look at what it takes to make relationships work.
Amy's sin never for a second rings true, and eventually grows tiresome.
stays on the periphery of the issues and never attempts to really plunge into the psychosis of these situations
It's a wonderful premise, but -- perhaps due to the shoestring budget -- the execution is terrible: visually ugly, with inadequate sound recording/mixing, and performances that rarely seem well coordinated.
A scrappily funny and observant takeoff on the secrets that complete even the ''normal'' among us.
[Goldthwait] handles it beautifully, crafting from such rough stuff something astoundingly sweet and sharply funny about forgiveness, unconditional love, tenderness, and the things we hide just to get ourselves from one day to the next.
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