ChanBot i must have seen a different film!!

GazerRise Fantastic!

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

gavin6942 A boy and his brother do not get along well. In order to let their ill mother rest, they are separated and sent each one with their relatives.Author Kurt Vonnegut said the film to be one of his favorites, alongside "Casablanca" and "All About Eve". While not necessarily the three films you would associate with the satire of Vonnegut, this makes him all the more interesting.The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Director (Lasse Hallström) and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Oddly, not Best Foreign Film. Lasse Hallström was right to be honored, as he went on to make "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "The Cider House Rules", both huge successes.There is more to Swedish film than Ingmar Bergman.

Stephen Alfieri "My Life as a Dog" is a simple story about a 12 year old, mischievous boy, who is trying to find his way. He has a brother that he does not really get along with, a mother who is getting progressively sicker, and a dog who gives him the love that he is not able to get from either his mother or brother.To help his mother recover, he is sent packing, off to live for the summer with an uncle, where he finds a place to fit in, and friends and neighbors who are just as "strange" and mischievous.The film is a memory, neither romanticized or critical of either the boy or his family and friends. It simply tells the tale of a boy on the verge of puberty and the confusing feelings that he experiences.I didn't like the repetitive nature of the narration that occurs throughout the film, but I found myself drawn into the story and the characters.Lasse Hallstrom does a marvelous job of getting genuine, honest performances from all of his actors, who are all excellent.8 out of 10

Lee Eisenberg After I had seen "The Cider House Rules" and "Chocolat", I took some interest in Swedish-born director Lasse Hallstrom, and so I decided to check out one of his movies from his native country. "Mitt liv som hund" ("My Life as a Dog" in English) really impressed me. This story of abandoned boy Ingemar hits the perfect balance between sentimental and gritty, with one scene that was probably there for a little comic relief (you'll know what I mean if you see the movie). Probably the most effective scene is when Ingemar talks about Laika, the Soviet space-dog. Just as happened to Laika, Ingemar didn't want to have to go through this, it was done to him. And both Laika and Ingemar got left in limbo. Both were victims of cold, abstract forces.Anyway, this is definitely one that I recommend. In my opinion, Hallstrom's American movie most like this one was "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", about a destitute family in Iowa. Both are worth seeing.

fred-houpt I finally got to watch this film from beginning to end last night, after having caught glimpses of it on television. What is there in this film not to love? Beautiful Swedish landscapes in summer and winter. Attractive blond haired children or women. Hilarious eccentrics who spend their entire lives hammering nails into their roof shingles. Children on the cusp of puberty who engage in a completely unrepressed journey of sexual discovery without tilting the film into x-rating.This is a true story based on the life of a real child whose mother was a famous Swedish writer, who had a terrible temper and also died of a disease of the lungs. As a special, there is a delightful interview with the director which is insightful on several levels. He talks about what it was like working with the child actors and how natural they were about their work. He talked about how he only realized how unconsciously hooked into the film he had become after seeing it several years after completion. The reason given was that he too was the child of a famous writer/mom who needed her space and privacy. He too had children and then was divorced. So, on many levels he found the film a cathartic experience AFTER he had watched it in a theater and watched how other people responded.What is clear about this film is that it is charming without being cheap or smarmy. The unpretentious manner in which a touching and sad story is told is such a joyful antidote to the average Hollywood film. Unlike most American films which say too much, are too loud and spoon feed all thinking into the audience with the assumption that we are dumb, insensitive and unable to connect the dots, this drama delights with it's simplicity, allowing the drama to come to us in an unhurried telling. This film won several awards and most deserving it was. At the end we both cry and smile at the outcome. What is strengthening to know, is that the real life boy whose story this is, thrived. A really great film indeed.