Lawn Dogs (1998)

Crappy film

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

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

I'm a fan of Mischa Barton and obtained this movie after some research done on the Net. First off, let me just say that the creators of THE O.C. were most definitely influenced by this. Mischa Barton in a gated community, rich girl + poor boy, and, just like at the end of this movie, at the end of THE O.C. #2 there is this shooting incident.It's also the third movie I've watched recently featuring lawnmower guys and their relationships with rich girls - the other two being CAN'T BUY ME LOVE and SUMMER CATCH. But that's just a coincidence. My first observation is very interesting. Wonder if Josh Schwarz would admit to it?As for the picture itself, great! Noticed that Mischa is forever just being Mischa, she is cute and the camera loves her, so film away, she hardly has to do much but remember her lines, and that she does. True feeling for the part is unfortunately not always evident, as is the case with THE O.C. But come on, here she was very, very young, she wasn't even allowed to see her own movie afterward due to the age restriction, and she couldn't have known what the part was really, really about. At times though, here, she is nevertheless just absolutely perfect, unbeatable, the best choice for the part. Other times she is just rambling through the lines.Very worthwhile movie, though.

I adore this film, most definitely up there in my favorites. Mischa Barton and Sam Rockwell are both equally amazing in this film with great chemistry. A beautiful story of an unlikely yet true friendship, friendship that is judged too quickly. Inside the life of an innocent girl, dreaming of fairy tales and a man who gives no mind to such things. A truly magnificent film that is easily deserving of 4 stars. This movie used to be (And probably still is) considered very controversial simply because of a 20 year old and 12 year old having a completely innocent friendship. I think it's really sad that an adult and a child can have a platonic, nonviolent friendship when a couple can't exclude violence, words or otherwise. It's obvious that little Devon(Mischa Barton) has an infatuation with the much older Trent(Sam Rockwell). She probably experienced her first heartbreak in it. At one point, it does seem as if it's going to take that route into molestation, but it greatly derives off away from that, the thought diminishing quite quickly. However, their friendship soon has some problems, causing chaos in each of their lives. What I really found stupid and useless in this film was the young boy who just went around terrorizing people in the neighborhood. He was Dennis the Menace who didn't have a purpose in the film. Trent's relationship with the boys really sped up the film and followed through with a great ending to an overall great movie. The ending was far fetched but suits the film's fairytale feel nicely.

Ignoring anything remotely resembling a more polished big-budget feature ala - strong supporting cast, editing, cinematography, musical score, etc....and focusing just on the painful yet beautiful character development and slowly evolving story...this film is nothing short of brilliant. The director explores a wide range of relevant topics including our collective interpretation of social norms, family expectations, seemingly inappropriate relationships (based on ignorance), personal hypocrisies, the class system, our isolation and longing for connections/acceptance, etc etc. Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton's performances and for lack of a better word (given the subject matter) "chemistry" are amazing. I just fell in love with this film!

lawn dogs has two distinct portions... i think some people will find the start a little off-putting as it seems clunky... after one sees the movie as a whole (firmly establishing the fairytale motif) the beginning makes perfect sense and the tone of the movie is made stronger...i suppose it is hard to justify the score i give this movie and i think in this case it is purely my own taste and emotional response that made me give it such a high rating... the metaphors and themes are not as "easy" as in many commercial hits, yet they are strong and simple... one could argue the lack of complexity is a problem but i think in this case, it makes the movie so wonderfully accessible without being completely obvious (and rarely are the symbols and intents, simple though they may be, meshed more completely and in such a satisfying way)...it would make a superb introduction into even more thought provoking movies, as it's just so human... the movie's strongest point is the rich poetic visuals... swathes of crystal green, bold blues, sparkling lights in the interior of the trailer, haunting red streaks... the combination of the care taken visually and the strength of characters, message and plot make it such a compact, powerful movie...mischa barton has weak moments, but then those are balanced out by her performance as a whole... the other players are excellent, particularly rockwell, who is supremely likable and understated at once...it's a cliché to say this movie stays with you, but it has one of greatest endings ever, some of those shots you could see being part of a montage of amazing cinematic moments... i love movies that combine the ordinary with just the slightest, most subtle hint of magic...oh and some of the songs and music are just... well perfect...