Dogfight (1991)

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 one of my favorite movies and I am a picky movie watcher. Its one of the only films about the Vietnam War that doesn't actually take place in the actual war. Instead, the focus is right here and how its effecting us here. The film stars River Phoenix and Lili Taylor in my favorite roles of theirs as Eddie Birdlace and Rose Fenny, respectively.The film takes place in 1963, specifically the day before John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Eddie Birdlace (Phoenix) is one of four soon-to-be-shipped-out marines who is looking for a date for a marines' night out. After searching all day, he comes across Rose Fenny (Taylor) who works at her mother's diner. She agrees to go with him but later discovers that it is a "dogfight": a competition where the ugliest woman the marines can find is the winner.The reason I truly love (and I mean LOVE) this film is the simple romance. There is no kissing in the rain, no fireworks, no chasing the woman at the airport before her flight takes off or any of that lame and cheesy stuff Hollywood does now. Its just Eddie and Rose talking and laughing and having a good time together. Sometimes, just showing people live their lives is enough. Life as we know it IS interesting. You don't need the "...you complete me" or the "public proclamation of love" to be interesting. I enjoyed seeing Eddie and Rose's love evolve naturally and realistically.Phoenix and Taylor have unique chemistry. The viewer can tell they want to fall in love but don't know how. They see the bridge, but don't have the courage to cross it. That's powerful and you can see that through the acting. There is a lot funny moments and well executed dramatic moments. The end (which I won't spoil) is one of the BEST endings to a romantic film I have ever seen.The acting is amazing. The story is simple yet so beautiful and realistic. The characters are relatable and real and likable. The directing is perfect. The atmosphere is perfect. The music selections are great and represent the times perfectly. The dialogue is great; the characters say things that we people say in real life.There are absolutely NO WORDS to describe how much I love this movie. Its a shame its not more well known and I wish more people knew about it. This film puts recent romantic films and romantic comedies to shame. Forget about Jennifer Aniston, Katherine Heigl or Sarah Jessica Parker romantic films. Watch "Dogfight"...you won't be sorry and you may look at life a little differently.

Interesting story focusing on hot-tempered, booze-loving, foul-mouthed Eddie Birdlace (brilliantly played by river phoenix)and his quest for an ugly-duckling to take with him to a dogfight. birdlace and his three friends each put in money for a bet, the one who takes the ugliest date to the dogfight wins the pot of money. Just before the dogfight begins, birdlace begins to have feelings for his date and as the movie progresses he falls deeper and deeper in love with her. Rose, his date to the dogfight (brilliantly played by Lili Taylor)also begins to fall in love with Eddie. There is romance, comedy, drama, swearing and lots more. This brilliantly acted and affectionate movie is well-worth watching and will probably have some in tears at the end. Co-stars include Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark and Mitchell Whitfield. This film definitely won my approval, a well acted movie which is well cast down to the small roles. I give it a strong 9 out of 10.

A truly amazing movie. More for the girls, but very enjoyable anyone! A moving strange performance by the one and only River Phoenix.Phoenix is strange as the cold- hearted marine he plays, an opposite to the real life actor. But there is a side of Eddie Birdlace that is loving, caring, and sweet, and in a strange way, true.Lili Taylor is excellent as Rose Fenny,the innocent, sweet, country dreaming girl. The basic plot is Eddie and his friends looking for some ugly girls to take to win money, rose finds out , eddie apologises, and eventually ends up falling for her anyway. The movie has some funny scenes, some of them including River Phoenix attempting to jump over a fence with a vicious dog on the other side, and annoying a posh man who won't let them in the restaurant because Eddie isn't wearing a jacket.But there is a sentimental heart to the film , and it makes you think about love.The closure to the movie is a little strange, with Lili Taylor and River meeting again after war and hugging. One things for sure, this is a captivating movie that reminds you just how skilled River Phoenix was as an actor.