Bark!

Rating:
Summary: A Very Original Film
Review: A mixture of laughs and tears. An ensemble of funny, excentric charactere served by a more than perfect cast. An original approach to a difficult subject. Do not let yourself fool by the cover. This is a really good film that fluctuates between absurd, funny and dramatic situations, which forces it's heroes to make unusual choices; it is about friendship and love and loss... about life!

Rating:
Summary: Lee Tergesen is fabulous!!
Review: Bark! is the story of a woman named Lucy (Heather Morgan) who is the midst of a mental breakdown and the only way she communicates is through barking. Lee Tergesen (HBO's Oz) plays her frustrated but very patient husband, Peter, who seeks advice about Lucy from everyone, including the family vet, played by Lisa Kudrow) and a psychiatric resident, played by Vincent D'Onofrio.

Fans of Oz, who've seen Tergesen shine as Tobias Beecher, will be thrilled to see the not-seen-often-enough actor in almost every scene of this film. He *is* the movie. Everything revolves around him and the problem his wife is encountering. And he plays the part brilliantly. Yes, I'm a little biased because he's my favorite actor, but he really does shine here. Peter has to deal with his wife's breakdown, her lack of communication, her very strange and hostile family, taking over her business and do it all without losing his own mind. Tergesen makes us feel for Peter. We ache for him, even when he betrays his wife.

The film itself is weird and has no satisfying conclusion but Lee is amazing to watch and his performance is guaranteed to make you glad you bought this DVD.

Hank Azaria has a small part as Peter's best friend.

Rating:
Summary: Don't judge a video by the description on its box!
Review: I rented this video on a whim, and enjoyed it, although it wasn't at all what I expected. The story is intriguing, the acting is excellent, and the story is well-told. But it's not a comedy by any stretch of the imagination.

Lisa Kudrow was the only actress/actor in the film I'd heard of, so I figured she had the leading role. However, she is not the woman who barks--in fact, her role is relatively minor. Because of Kudrow's presence and the write-up on the box, I assumed the film would be a wacky comedy along the lines of Romy and Michelle Go To The Dogs. Not.

There are light moments, but overall the film is sad and touching. I'd put it more in the category of Rain Man or Awakenings--dramas that affirm the worth and lovability of those whose brains aren't working quite right, that include some comedic moments to break the tension.

I think the film says some important things about how we ought to deal with the mentally ill. (Love a person where they are, and help them to be as happy as possible instead of medicating them into oblivion.) See it! But don't expect it to be a wacky, screwball-style comedy as advertised on the box.

Rating:
Summary: Don't judge a book by its cover!!!!!!!
Review: I was happily surprise when I rented that movie, even though I was reluctant to do so because of the appalling DVD cover. But thanks to my tasteful friends, I was privileged to discover, at last, a fantastic piece of work. Darkness runs along the length of happiness; your mood fluctuates from tears to laughter. The director treats a difficult subject mixing all the contradictory feelings, all the high and lows that makes existence so beautiful and so tough but still worth living.
The actors are breathtaking and embark you on this journey wether you like it or not... A must see.

Rating:
Summary: Accept the difference
Review: It is an extremely sensitive and original tale. Funny and tragic about the border between normality and every thing else. A very suttle lesson on how to accept the difference. A wonderful cast with an expetionnal Lee Tergesen!!! Watch it!!!

Rating:
Summary: Title dumb, but movie not
Review: Though a huge Vincent D'Onofrio fan, I had resisted renting this movie because (A)the title, especially the exclamation point and (B) a woman becomes a dog? Like the play "Sylvia"? It just sounded bad. But it isn't. The story isn't as goofy as it seems in the blurb, and the acting is really enjoyable. It really was somewhat sweet how this peculiar woman manages to bring together a sort of family made up of her friends--it made me think about how many of us do the same thing, pulling together others to make a group. The moments when all of the friends (who don't yet know each other well) are all gathered in this rinky-dink apartment, concerned about a catatonic woman, while getting to know one another are wonderful.
Especially splendid is Vincent D'Onofrio, and it isn't just because he's always brilliant. His is just a fabulous character, with so much going on and such an empathy for the wounds of others. At first, all of the characters, especially his, sounded like this acting exercise we used to do where you pick 2 totally unique traits for your characters (like, I'm a blind opera singer, or a Vietnam vet/bumble bee) and then do an improv. I mean, Vincent's a Psych resident (doctor, not that he lives there) AND a would-be harp player--it sounds too much like the screenwriter was trying to be interesting. But it works, and some of Vincent's moments are so delicate and--well, I could go on, but realize that I'm not going to convince anyone. But, the movie is worth a watch and you will enjoy it even if Vincent doesn't make you pant.