a review by Dennis Poirere, Here Magazine

Within my set of friends and family, I'm usually the one trying to explain or defend a movie. I try to follow the storyline and subplots as best as I can, because I know I'll be asked to explain every obscure reference later. Call it the curse of the movie columnist, but honestly, I like the attention. I saw a movie called Dead Dog a few days ago. I didn't go to the video store when the subject of: 'what do we do tonight?' arose. When I heard the title I had to admit it was totally off my radar. My homework on the film was nonexistent. I have been known to rent bad movies but I always had a purpose; more than likely I found a comical review on a website. So I asked my 'relative', who wants to remain anonymous but it's the one who gave birth to me, (sorry Mom) what compelled her to rent the movie: "Oh it's about this guy who becomes obsessed with the man who ran over his dog and wants revenge". I replied: "you're joking, right?" It had been a dog's day since I last visited and she had also bought lobster for the whole family, so I let sleeping dogs lie. After all, a movie with Isaac Hayes playing himself can't be that bad, could it?

The movie starts off pretty steamy, with Tom and Perri (Jeremy Sisto of Six Feet Under fame and Paige Turco) having sex on the dresser while Sophie, Tom's golden retriever, watched. Then Perri brings Sophie out for a walk, bends down to tie her shoe and immediately the canine bolts into the street. A car runs it over; the driver stops to check his bumper and without remorse leaves.

Sophie is brought to the vet and sadly dies on the operating table. Tom blames Perri for her death but soon turns his attention towards peppering Perri with questions to remember the man who ran Sophie over. At this point I couldn't get over the idea the catalyst for this movie was really a dead dog. Going in blind, I failed to realize the movie was a racy nighttime drama satire!

He interrogates Perri endlessly for information, including interrupting her while she took a shower. Meanwhile the same black car takes the same corner recklessly every day. Tom somehow deduces the driver of that car is Sophie's killer.

He manages to track him down while he is buying a porno mag at a magazine stand. (I guess you need to illustrate the guy is really sleazy).

Tom approaches him like he was an old friend of Perri's. Marquett (Christopher Cousins) agrees to meet him and Perri on the condition he says nothing: "to see if she recognizes you". She does but walks away from Tom's shenanigans. He continues the charade and brings Marquett out for drinks at a strip club. Now that I know this movie is a dark comedy, the nude scenes were placed there to make you go: "What the heck?" Without buildup, there was blatant nudity thrown on the screen randomly, but it was more for gags rather than gratuitous.

Marquett is too drunk to drive his black car. His new buddy offers to drive. Passing out in the passenger seat, Marquett is grilled about Sophie.

At the height of Tom's rage, Marquett shrugs: "It was just a dumb dog" and Tom pushes him out of his own car!

The assault doesn't kill him so when the sheriff questions him and becomes smitten with Marquett's wife, (Adrienne Shelly) he sees the opportunity to kill Marquett and frame Tom, the guy who wanted revenge for his dog. Small problem: Perri couldn't take Tom's obsessive behavior and kicked him out. Tom instantly hooked up with a red headed pig farmer who dreams of becoming a chef. Perri sleeps with her lawyer partner. Suddenly, with one phone call, Tom turns himself in so Perri can defend him and they reunite! I laughed the whole way through and didn't know it was a comedy. I was going to bury Dead Dog but instead I recommend it if you know coming in it's not a drama.

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