The Dog Wedding (2016)

Wow! Such a good movie.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The Dog Wedding is an intelligent and funny romantic comedy about a wrestler who meets a German pickle factory owner in the dog run. He suggests the dogs get married. What ensues is an engaging story of romance, an overbearing father and a pickle factory experiencing a corporate takeover. It made me laugh and even cry. The very concept of an enormous American wrestler getting together with a German pickle entrepreneur coupled with their bulldogs is downright amusing. The cinematography was beautiful. The acting by both professionals and everyday people was outstanding. It is a wholesome movie with a point of view. There were some scenes in the desert that reminded me of Antonioni. Kudos to the director for that.

This is a movie that has something for everyone.....relationships, dogs, wrestling, humor, business drama, jazz, and many unique characters. The movie is rare in the fact that it has ability to feel independent and quirky but appeal to a very mass audience. The movie is set in Arizona and involves a professional wrestler who meets a German business woman through their pet bulldogs. She is in Arizona on business to potentially shutdown a local food manufacturing facility and layoff the local workers. Her father is an overbearing CEO who demands her to only focus on the company. As you can imagine all the elements intertwine in a charming colorful story. I think viewers will enjoy this movie, yet appreciate that it is refreshingly creative and unique.

Sitting in the front row for the New York City premiere of The Dog Wedding movie, nothing appeared out of the norm: These are my people, I mused. These people know that dogs are family, they bring them to posh cinematic happenings, and once they've walked the red pink carpet with their coutured canines, they settle into theater seats. Displaying your affection (and addiction) to canines is the new norm, and thank DOG for that!Jason Hurwitz gets it. Matthew Bloom knows it. And Rosalie Thomass has recently discovered it. The Dog Wedding movie is making its rounds on a city-by-city tour before its release to the general public on, yep, you guessed it: Valentine's Day 2016. This isn't your bark-out-loud rom-com for dog lovers that the movie's trailer and associated promotional posters want you to believe it is. Sure, there are dogs in it, as the vehicles that unite a love story of a female German pickle entrepreneur and a hulky muscleman who body slams and pile drives his way into her heart. A modern day romance with a few dogs as catalysts for Cupid's arrow.The movie stars Matthew Bloom as wrestler Matthew "The Manimal" Pierce. The German businesswoman, Ulrika Schmidt, played by German actress Rosalie Thomass, is sent to the states by her domineering father to shut down a family-owned pickle factory.In my interview with Hurwitz prior to seeing movie, my expectations were geared more for canine giggles and puns, but the flick is far more than that.Surprising, whimsical, hallucinatory, belly laugh inducing, will they or won't they: Emotions and affectations viewers can expect to encounter during this 90+ minute thrill ride."It was quirky and different and I couldn't wait to see what would happen to the main characters," my spouse told me afterwards.Exactly. So very much that. Exactly.

We had an honor to attend the premiere of the movie in New York City. Everyone associated with this film was such a pleasure to meet. Matthew Bloom is big sweetheart and loved his interaction with Rosalie on and off the screen. An honor to have my Bocker decked out in his tux pictured in the movie. Total enjoyment for everyone who came to see the movie with us. A pure delight for wrestling fans and dog lovers alike. Engaging story and great interaction among the cast. Highly recommend this film if you are a dog lover and who isn't! Congratulations to all involved..you created a film that is a joy to watch and remember. Very special to be a small part of this wonderful endeavor.