Other than Woody Allen films, comedies about curmudgeons are few and far between. Audiences tend to see little reason to sympathize with a perpetually disgruntled fussbudget who lashes out at everyone in his life. But screenwriter-director Michael Kalesniko has managed to pull off such a comedy with "How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog," and he succeeds for two reasons: His protagonist is played by a rumpled yet robust Kenneth Branagh, who brings surprising warmth to the role of a playwright beset by problems on many fronts, and Kalesniko's script lets us understand immediately what's really bugging his hero — the dreaded writer's block.
Movies about writers usually don't set boxoffice records, but this Millennium Films release has an unusually high ratio of laughs per minute.
Crises come at Peter McGowan (Branagh) from many angles. There is, of course, dilemma No. 1: After a run of boxoffice successes as the angry young playwright of Los Angeles, McGowan has hit a wall. Three successive flops have devastated his self- confidence, so he decides to workshop an incomplete drama with a hotshot director (David Krumholtz) who is addicted to Petula Clark songs and two flighty actors (Jonathan Schaech and Kaitlin Hopkins). But the idea is not working.
Meanwhile, wife Melanie Robin Wright Penn), a children's dance instructor, wants a child of her own; his mother-in-law (Lynn Redgrave) battles Alzheimer's; a stalker (Jared Harris) insists he's the real Peter McGowan; and the mutt next door barks all night.
Also new in the neighborhood is 10-year-old Amy (Suzi Hofrichter), afflicted with a mild case of cerebral palsy. Melanie invites the girl over frequently, hoping that Peter will warm up to children. This tactic fails miserably until his play's producer (Peter Riegert) and director insist that Peter's dialogue for a 10-year-old character doesn't ring true, so Peter befriends Amy to study her speech pattern.
"How to Kill" is, in essence, about the creative process and how an artist uses life for their own purposes. It also is about the selfishness to which an artist must cling if they are to achieve their goals. But this makes the film sound heavy — which it never is.
Peter's ego-deflating situations keep him off-balance, in search of creative equilibrium. Kalesniko's writing and direction are ever on the prowl for the oddball and offbeat.
HOW TO KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR'S DOG
Millennium Films
in association with Cinerenta
South Ford Pictures
in association with Lonsdale Prods.
Producers Michael Nozik, Nancy M. Ruff, Brad Weston
Director-screenwriter Michael Kalesniko
Executive producer Robert Redford
Co-executive producers Willi Baer, Avi Lerner, Danny Dembort, Trevor Short, John Thompson
Director of photography Hubert Taczanowski
Production designer Stephen Lineweaver
Music David Robbins
Costume designer Mary Claire Hannan
Editor Pamela Martin
Color/stereo
Cast:
Peter McGowan Kenneth Branagh
Melanie McGowan Robin Wright Penn
Amy Walsh Suzi Hofrichter
Edna Lynn Redgrave
Stalker Jared Harris
Larry Peter Riegert
Brian Sellars David Krumholtz
Adam Jonathan Schaech
Victoria Kaitlin Hopkins
Running time — 104 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Movies about writers usually don't set boxoffice records, but this Millennium Films release has an unusually high ratio of laughs per minute.
Crises come at Peter McGowan (Branagh) from many angles. There is, of course, dilemma No. 1: After a run of boxoffice successes as the angry young playwright of Los Angeles, McGowan has hit a wall. Three successive flops have devastated his self- confidence, so he decides to workshop an incomplete drama with a hotshot director (David Krumholtz) who is addicted to Petula Clark songs and two flighty actors (Jonathan Schaech and Kaitlin Hopkins). But the idea is not working.
Meanwhile, wife Melanie Robin Wright Penn), a children's dance instructor, wants a child of her own; his mother-in-law (Lynn Redgrave) battles Alzheimer's; a stalker (Jared Harris) insists he's the real Peter McGowan; and the mutt next door barks all night.
Also new in the neighborhood is 10-year-old Amy (Suzi Hofrichter), afflicted with a mild case of cerebral palsy. Melanie invites the girl over frequently, hoping that Peter will warm up to children. This tactic fails miserably until his play's producer (Peter Riegert) and director insist that Peter's dialogue for a 10-year-old character doesn't ring true, so Peter befriends Amy to study her speech pattern.
"How to Kill" is, in essence, about the creative process and how an artist uses life for their own purposes. It also is about the selfishness to which an artist must cling if they are to achieve their goals. But this makes the film sound heavy — which it never is.
Peter's ego-deflating situations keep him off-balance, in search of creative equilibrium. Kalesniko's writing and direction are ever on the prowl for the oddball and offbeat.
HOW TO KILL YOUR NEIGHBOR'S DOG
Millennium Films
in association with Cinerenta
South Ford Pictures
in association with Lonsdale Prods.
Producers Michael Nozik, Nancy M. Ruff, Brad Weston
Director-screenwriter Michael Kalesniko
Executive producer Robert Redford
Co-executive producers Willi Baer, Avi Lerner, Danny Dembort, Trevor Short, John Thompson
Director of photography Hubert Taczanowski
Production designer Stephen Lineweaver
Music David Robbins
Costume designer Mary Claire Hannan
Editor Pamela Martin
Color/stereo
Cast:
Peter McGowan Kenneth Branagh
Melanie McGowan Robin Wright Penn
Amy Walsh Suzi Hofrichter
Edna Lynn Redgrave
Stalker Jared Harris
Larry Peter Riegert
Brian Sellars David Krumholtz
Adam Jonathan Schaech
Victoria Kaitlin Hopkins
Running time — 104 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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