Review: Must Love Dogs (D-)

Must Love Dogs (2005)
Directed by Gary David Goldberg
Starring Diane Lane, John Cusack, Elizabeth Perkins, Dermot Mulroney and Stockard Channing
MPAA: PG-13
Grade: D-

Review by Scott Standish

John Cusack is one of my favorite actors. I'll basically watch any film that he is in, whether I like it or not. He usually adds a little eccentricity to every role and he can save the shallowest of films from mediocrity.

However, if John Cusack is to get all of the credit for elevating films such as The Grifters, High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank to near clasic status, he also has to take the blame for his failures. Must Love Dogs is a disaster of a film and Cusack drags this piece of garbage around like a dead walrus. If you get all the credit, you have to take the blame.

Must Love Dogs is a stinker right from the start. This clunker of a romantic comedy centers itself around the premise that anyone single is a total loser. People have interventions for the recently divorced, talk about nothing but "finding someone" and spend all of their time cruising on-line personals. Basically, if you are single, you are a loser. Nice premise.

ANYWAY, Must Love Dogs tells the story of the recently divorced Sara (Diane Lane) and her search for a new man. Of course, Cusack is that man, but can she ever realize it? Gee, I hope she does. Cliche after cliche, Must Love Dogs hits them all and it is about as entertaining as a paper plate.

Romantic comedies don't come any worse than Must Love Dogs. Cusack or no Cusack.