Bark! (2002)

I seldom have an opportunity to view a creative and well-thought out script along with good acting. This movie was very unique in that it combined a serious stigmatized mental health disorder with a most sublime dry humor, keeping the content and subject material "real" for seriousness, but light enough to prevent the sad theme of the wife's condition from being a frustrating and intolerable viewing experience. How does one approach a subject or define what a nervous breakdown is? This movie does this tactfully, and allows more viewers to accept this condition more in this stigmatized and stereotyped society today. The author/scriptwriter and director didn't "force" the viewer to suffer, but made watching a pleasant experience. I wouldn't say this movie/author/script-writer was Kafka, but sure is close. How does the wife metamorphasize into a dog instead of a cockroach as Kafka's "Metamorphosis?" Unique "ironic" parallel in style here.Casting done for this movie was outstanding and each actor and actress played their parts superbly. The veterinarian (girlfriend) reminded me of Terri Garr, similar in other wife roles of acting giving in her demeanor and appearance a sweet and innocent kind of support character and not a total frustratingly dumb blonde role. The husband ending up having numerous other "acorns" as presented in the movie (and what is an acorn, but another nut) that fell closely from other unknown family trees than his own wife's acorn family tree land in his living room as his wife vegetates under medication adds the additional, appropriate and well-timed humor relief along with giving a temporary surrealistic panorama to/for the audience's viewing. I would be hard-pressed to define "black humor" with definitive lines to apply to this movie and all of its' numerous and variable characterizations. I suppose it depends on how a person would debate Kafka's style of writing that no movie-maker yet has been able to accomplish to portray. This movie makes a dandy good job in doing so. I rate this movie in the same/similar artsie imaginative and creative art classification as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It is EEEEExcellent and very "sweet" overall. In face of adultery by the husband and his wife's obvious will-never-return-to-normalcy, he continues to stay by his wife's side as a most devoted husband. Unconditional love has a strong theme underlying this movie keeping it well afloat. I laughed a lot and loved this movie for its' topic, characters, hidden or ironic type deephumor, imagination, creativity, good acting, timing ... everything worked and came together to NOT give a viewer a frustrating experience,but one that is more than satisfyingly enjoyabe and sweetly thought-provoking.

To be honest, I turned on this movie because I thought it would be a fun comedy to have on in the background. It's not. It's a sweet, poignant drama about a guy who's just trying to do what's best for his wife. Lee Tergesen (HBO's "Oz") is fantastic as Peter, the confused, loving husband of a woman who's suddenly started acting like a dog. The pain and love he's feeling shines through clearly, yet he's by no means perfect. He's just a guy who's had a unusual problem dumped on him, and the problem of trying to get people to take him seriously is one of his biggest problems. The best scenes are the ones in which he simply watches his wife; everything he's feeling, from the love to the frustration, comes pouring through. Heather Morgan is fascinating to watch as Lucy, his wife. Her physical acting is very good, very much in sync with how dogs often act. The supporting cast is great, too; nearly all of the characters have a purpose, rather than being scenery. Hank Azaria is wonderful as Peter's ne'er-do-well friend, Lisa Kudrow's cute as his neurotic, sexy vet, and Vincent D'Onofrio's coolly creepy as a psychiatric resident with a bit of an ethics problem and a desire to do something else. Together, all these characters form an odd collection, but it works. The key to this movie is to remember that--no matter what the critics say--it's not a comedy. It's a drama, though admittedly a quirky one, and a very good one at that.

The worst thing the makers of this movie ever did was to categorize it as a comedy. But, they did a lot of things, right, too.True to its name, "Bark" irritates within minutes of its endurance. You want to shake, Lucy, the barking woman. You are embarrassed for Peter, her husband. You ask yourself, "how could someone possibly endure this?" What the heck is funny about this? But, if you're able to get past the woefully misleading idea that this is going to be a funny movie, things begin to change. Serious questions are posed. How would you react to a loved one's inexplicable decline into madness? If you were poor, how would you find help? Would you lock them away? Would you endure the madness...or, would you embrace the madness?I agree with most of the professional pundits in some questionable casting - Lisa Kudrow, especially. Kudrow is a little too wacky, as is D'onofrio's character. But, it's valid to suggest that only humans who are "bent" in someway themselves, would ultimately forgive the eccentricities of others - even to the clinical degree.I would recommend this movie to anyone who has lived with someone dealing with mental challenge issues. But, while it's light in parts, it's no comedy. And it's not at all as bad as you might expect.Sean "good boy" Trapani

Having seen the film "Bark', I can but wonder why it has been classified as a comedy. Rather I found it to be a tragedy or perhaps a comment on instinct and human nature. What happens to the very thing that allows a person to communicate? The film answers this question in a way. The cast was capable, but were secondary to the main conflict I think. There was a good deal of discussion about "Bark" in this household and while there were few agreements, it was felt that this film was worth a look. Vincent and Hank seemed to remain true to their on-screen personas as did Lisa, although I have no idea why anyone would watch a film based soley upon her modest talents. Nevertheless, she did her part in this strange but thought-provoking film.