Dog Days (2018)
(On Cable TV, May 2021) Okay, so hear me out: Dog Days is a movie about a day in the life of dogs and their owners… need I say more? Okay, how about this: Dog Days is a movie made of five shorter movies about a day in the life of dogs and their owners, with subplots criss-crossing each other across Los Angeles. Does that make it better? For a specific audience, it sure does: Dog Days is clearly meant as an ensemble romantic comedy featuring dogs and their owners in multiple configurations meant to be recognizable by a large public. As a cat owner, I’m not that well-suited to assess the result in its full dogginess. But I can testify that the result is watchable if hardly memorable. Director Ken Marino delivers what’s expected of him here: a light, fun, occasionally poignant (or is that emotionally manipulative?) film that can act as filler in-between more substantial fare. This is not necessarily a put-down: Dog Days is the film that many people will want to see, and it will deliver on its promise.