Must Love Dogs (DVD, 2005, Full Frame)

Must Love Dogs, adapted from the novel by Claire Cook, follows Sarah a preschool teacher and divorc�e who is attempting to find the perfect man to fill a missing void in her life, and her family is only too eager to help. Soon her sister has put her profile on ****.com where she receives many messages from interested men. Soon enough she meets Jake, a boat builder who finds her utterly enthralling; however, while Jake is vying for Sarah�s attention so is another man: Bob, a father of one of Sarah�s students. The story is simple and predictable, but it works; mainly because it provides many laughs throughout the duration of the movie and one or two (or three) really hilarious scenes.

Another reason Must Love Dogs works so well is because it features some great performances from its cast. Diane lane is phenomenal as Sarah. One can clearly see her struggle between wanting a man back in her life so she will not have to go through the rest of it by herself and then not wanting to put herself in a position where she can be hurt like she was in her marriage. While her performance will not garner her an Oscar nomination she should at least receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Comedy. Dermot Mulroney (Bob) and John Cusack (Jake) also do well as Sarah�s love interests. Dermot Mulroney is good, but he does not really have a scene to shine in. John Cusack has more of a role to play in the film; he shares some great chemistry with Diane Lane and has a good screen presence. Christopher Plummer plays Diane Lane�s father, and he does a really good job, especially in one scene where he is really able to shine. Also good in their supporting roles are Elizabeth Perkins, Ali Hillis, and Stockard Channing.

Overall. Must Love Dogs is a charming comedy that audiences should enjoy. The story, while predictable, is fun no matter how predictable it is. Diane lane turns in a captivating performance while her supporting cast also performs respectably. Must Love Dogs is one of only a few well-executed comedies of the year, and it should not be missed.

I love this movie ! I first saw it on TV and immediately went to ebay to find and buy it. This comedy is very sensitively and realistically written.You can instantly identify with the characters who are recently divorced and reluctantly entering the dating scene again. The short scenes showing some of Diane Lane's first dates are hilarious - I went out with these guys myself - and so must the writer of this comedy ! It is all the best of romantic modern comedy plus love story with out unnecessary bad language , nudity , or obscenity . I cannot recommend this movie enough.A must share with any friend who is going through this trying to date again situation.

I bought this movie to be able to loose myself in the storyline of it. It is very enjoyable with the play on words that the characters are finding during their relationships throughout the movie. It does have a way to show you how you can relate to matters of the heart to everyday situations and makes you laugh about things that are of a very simple idea. I was looking for a movie that would be of a light hearted nature when I came across this one and felt that it would give me the comedy and yet thought provoking nature that I needed at the time. The use of animals in the movie brings home the point that animals can be very comforting as well to people. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys animals and needs a comedy for enjoyment.

Love this movie, I can watch it over and over again. Diane Lane and John Cusack are two of my favorite actors, and the rest of the staff is fun too. Great movie.

"Must Love Dogs" is a very warm, feel good film. If you like a little humor, fun pot, heart felt realizations, ( elements that abound in shows like "Sex and the City") , you'll love this movie. Diane Lane is a good actress whose qualities of being unassummingly pretty, smart, vulnerable, determined, real are all show cased in this film.

If you like hopeful, feel-good romantic comedy with doses of reality mixed in, you'll like this film, as I did!

Enjoy!

Scott W.