Search - Wiener-Dog on DVD

Rita M. (ritarene) from SILER CITY, NC
Reviewed on 2/5/2019...

First off-if you are thinking of watching this because you are a dachshund lover, this is NOT the movie for you. Watch "Wiener Dog Nationals" instead.

Spoiler alert--I've very loosely outlined the stories below. Do not read, if you think it will spoil the movie for you.

This movie is comprised of four vignettes and focuses on the very flawed, depressed people and their relationships rather than focusing on the dog. It is a very dark, subdued introspective dramady.

The movie opens with the wiener-dog being adopted by a family with a son who the story implies is in remission from cancer. The parents are very strict, and it is a very strained story where the child feeds the dog granola, and the dog gets very sick. The father takes the dog to be put to sleep, and there is awkward conversation between the mother and son about death.

The assistant at the vet steals the dog (leading us into the second vignette), and she ends up on a road trip with an unsavory man. Along the way, they pick up a Mariachi band. They end up leaving the dog with the man's brother.

After a comical original song during "intermission" the story jumps to a vignette with Danny DeVito as a depressed college professor and screenwriter who can't get seem to get a break with his agent. The students think he's a joke, and he is on the verge of losing his job. He commits an unspeakable travesty with the dog as a pawn.

The last vignette shows an old woman with the dog in her house. Her niece visits with her artist boyfriend and asks for money. There is some obvious foreshadowing in their conversation, and after the niece leaves, the woman sits outside with the dog and dreams of how her life could have been different. When she awakes, she finds the dog missing and ultimately witnesses its demise.

This movie is not for everyone. If you like dialogue-driven, exaggerated cerebral dark ironic comedy, give this a shot. If you like more mainstream films, I'd say pass on this one.

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