Peggy (Molly Shannon) is one of those freaky pet owners. The kind who have no life, no kids, no man, but spends her nights applying moisturizer to her Beagel’s paws. Even at the office, (that feels like the TV show “The Office”) she can’t relate to colleagues, including a vivacious Layla (Regina King) who is the movie’s energy force. But when her puppy Pencil dies, Shannon’s life is lost. She can’t find comfort from her brother and his wife (Laura Dern) nor in her neighbor (John C Reilley). But she can find comfort from the dog shelters’ employee Newt (Peter Sarsgaard) and his love for dogs. The movie feels a little like ‘Best In Show” without the documentary and Shannon’s performance is delivered minus a need for us to feel any pity for her. What one does feel is that we need the animal lovers – the “Save the Whales” and “Don’t Club Baby Seals” types – in this world, afterall.
Four tiaras