Dogfight (1991)

the audience applauded

Overrated

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This movie benefits from its sweet and sensitive approach and mainly from Lili Taylor's incredibly likable performance. I absolutely root for this girl and wish I could have a real-life friend like her. The enthusiasm by which she talks about most things, her aspirations in life, even the music she listened to where reasons to fall in love with this character. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about River Phoenix's character, a character I felt unable to empathize with as you do not get a true explanation as to why he'd previously behaved so callously, you do not get a big enough insight into his character, something to show his humanity, his fears, ambitions or insecurities. And I think that is because while Rose is such a driven and opinionated young girl, Eddie's character is the exact opposite, a guy frustrated with his situation for a reason he himself can't really explain. This makes their romance believable however, as you can see Eddie's attraction towards this girl's optimistic and at the same time strong aura. When their date comes to an end however, Eddie seems to choose to forget about this encounter and return to his previous life of bullshit-loaded tomfoolery, in a way a protective mechanism when entering the world of blood and horror that was Vietnam back then. He returns from war, having potentially lost his mates, seeming somewhat changed (if that) and enters Rose's café to see Rose again, hugging her and remembering that one night of pure sincerity in an otherwise bullshit-filled way of living.

The most atypical River Phoenix role, the furthest from his own personality comes in this film. In Dogfight River plays a young Marine recruit who along with buddies Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark, and Mitchell Whitfield who are on a last night's leave and are heading from their Treasure Island base for a night of fun and frolic in the San Francisco of November, 1963. The guys are about to participate in a really mindless and sick ritual called a Dogfight. The guys seek out the ugliest woman they can find and bring her to a designated bar where they're judged. The 'winner' gets a prize of whatever monies the Marines have collected among themselves. Talk about objectifying the female body in a negative way.Phoenix hooks up with sweet and shy Lilly Taylor who really moved me with her performance. She and her mother run a coffee shop and she's a quiet kid into folk music, her favorite being Joan Baez. While the other three have the usual night on the town for the Armed Services, Phoenix and Taylor find they connect in ways that they never dreamed possible. As they get to know each other the audience sees a more typical River Phoenix.I remember seeing this when it first came out. It had a limited release and was restricted to art houses. The theater I saw it in was memorable too, it was the only one I've ever been in without a concession stand, not even concession machines. I guess in this no frills theater I was lucky they had rest rooms.Phoenix and Taylor make a very lovely couple. It's a good picture for River, but Taylor was the one who really blew me away.

"Dogfight" is a surprising film. With that in mind I'm not saying that you're gonna see things you never see before. It's more like that you can enjoy a nice movie with many predictable moments and still be delighted with it. It's very good to just sit and watch and forget everything that comes to mind. It doesn't demand too much of the viewer and that sometimes it's a great thing.It's the simple story of four marines that make a bet between each other before they go to Vietnam. They play a game called "Dogfight" and which one of them has to go out with a ugly girl and take her to a party and the guy who gets the most ugliest of the girls wins the game and a prize. But something happens with the young Eddie (played by the always gifted River Phoenix) when he mets his "ugly girl" Rose (Lili Taylor) a sweet girl who works in her mother's restaurant. In the beginning, when they met each other we seen that something different might happen. He's charming, tells all the things she wants to hear and she follows him into this party. When she discovers the truth and leaves Eddie he follows her and apologizing for his behavior and the behavior of his friends he asks her to go out with him because it's his last night in U.S. The rest of the movie is a collection of moments that you've probably saw it before but here it really works, Taylor and Phoenix's chemistry is incredible, both actors played very well their parts. For an instance I wished that this movie had only these extremely young talented actors in scene (most of the scenes are only played by both). Notice the little special appearance of Brendan Fraser in his first film (very funny scene). River's fans will love it. 10/10

Group of Marines in 1963 San Francisco compete to see who can get the ugliest date. River Phoenix's Eddie Birdlace manages to humiliate Lily Taylor's Rose before finally seeing the human being underneath the unattractive coif and clothes--which of course makes him a better man. Silly, dead-end premise is not enhanced by sloppy writing nor variable performances. Taylor's rage is convincing, yet she doesn't show much range as an actress (this may be the fault of the writing, as her Rose is flimsily constructed out of clichés). The film's title is a foolish conceit, though it matches up fairly well with the screenplay--both are simple-minded. The picture's third act abandons the rowdy bravado and settles into a more conventional 'romantic drama' scenario; this section actually works the best, although the characters still fail to surprise us. ** from ****