Review of Wiener-Dog (2016) by Eric G — 09 Aug 2016

Don't expect the titular hound to be an accessible string to follow through the four stories Solondz describes. Other reviewers seem affronted at this inaccessibility and mark it towards an arrogance on the part of the director, but I think these are the same people who try to "get things" and will eschew anything they can't or shouldn't wrap their heads around.

Wiener-Dog was kind of beautiful, though. There are some whispers of very Solondz themes--depression, futility, death, cowardice--that informed the slightly wooden tone, but they take a backseat to the tiny little stories happening throughout. Characters seem like very well-crafted and subtly painted paper cutouts that move over the dioramas that Solondz has erected. The satire on modern personality tropes is cutting and hilarious, but manages to fall just left of too much on-the-noseness. Burstyn is always great. Danny DeVito reminds you that he did things other than It's Always Sunny, and has a scene commanded entirely by his face that is both heart-rending and kind of hilarious.

That said, my hands-down favorite story is an interaction between Kieran Culkin and his brother, an actor with down syndrome. They have a moment of tenderness that is so wonderfully complicated and subtle and is probably the least cringey scene with special needs actors I've ever seen.

Biggest downside is the father character in the first scene that was obviously channeling Phil Hoffman, but only made me miss him more.

Go check it out. It's easy and won't win any awards and might leave you with some questions, but look at it and take it for what it is and it might let you feel a few things you weren't going to that day.