Must Love Dogs

This mildly amusing romantic comedy mainly works because of the two leads, Diane Lane and John Cusack. As the movie opens both are heartbroken after losing the respective longterm partner and in little mood to find another. Of course meddling family and friends will not leave them be and so the two meet (along with numerous others).

Cusack is immediately smitten but the contrived plotting of writers Gary David Goldberg (Family Ties, Spin City, the similarly-themed though not nearly as good 1995 film Bye Bye Love) and Claire Cook (who also wrote the novel on which this is based) keeps them from finding happiness together. Goldberg also directed.

Lane, a kindergarden teacher, becomes intrigued by Dermot Mulroney, the father of a cute little student; in the end Mulroney proves to be the typical pig male. Cusack, more or less by default, takes up with a slutty blonde played by Jordana Spiro. Lane’s dad, the ever-elegant Christopher Plummer, is single again and content to enjoy his remaining time unencumbered by treating his lady friends with respect–in other words an older version of Mulroney’s character. Just with better style.

This is very much a Hollywood movie, so you should not be surprised or think I’m spoiling the movie by telling you that Lane eventually realizes she was a fool not to latch on to Cusack and rushes to let him know. The good of this movie is not the originality or plot, which are more than a bit by the numbers, but the acting. In addition to the previously-mentioned, the cast also includes good supporting performances by Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing and Glen Howerton.

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