My Life as a Dog (1985)
Directed by Lasse Hallström
A boy, obsessed with comparing himself with those less fortunate, experiences a different life at the home of his aunt and uncle in 1959 Sweden.
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What critics compared My Life as a Dog to
All of these stages are part of Dear John, a drama directed by the inimitable Lasse Hallstrom ( My Life as A Dog , The Cider House Rules , Chocolat , An Unfinished Life , What's Eating Gilbert Grape ).
It's a disappointment coming from the Swedish filmmaker who's given us much better, particularly 1999's critically praised "The Cider House Rules," based on the John Irving novel and starring Tobey Maguire and Michael Caine, and his other Oscar-nominated film, "My Life as a Dog."
It’s surprisingly beside the point that the film is directed by Lasse Hallström, once the capable chaperone of “My Life as a Dog,’’ “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,’’ “Chocolat,’’ and “The Cider House Rules.’’
Director Lasse Hallström ("What's Eating Gilbert Grape," "The Cider House Rules," "My Life as a Dog") keeps things from getting too syrupy and Tatum and Seyfried have a sweet, easy connection.
And for Dear John, that task falls to Lasse Hallström, the once-great director of My Life As A Dog and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, who later settled into a career turning out polite, middlebrow prize-grubbers for the Weinstein brothers, like The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, and Casanova.
And devoted Sparks’ aficionados should know that director Lasse Hallstrom (“The Cider House Rules,” “My Life as a Dog,” “Chocolat,” “Casanova”) and cliché-prone screenwriter Jamie Linden take artistic liberties with the lovers’ ultimate fate, which differs from the book’s ending.
Could this have been helmed by the same man who brought us "My Life as a Dog" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"?
"My Life as a Dog"; "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"), has hooked up with two screenwriters, Jeffrey ("Stage Beauty") Hatcher and Kimberly Simi, to concoct a leaden farce that is neither sexy nor funny.
Set in 1700s Venice, and lushly shot by director of photography Oliver Stapleton, this film by Lasse Hallstrom ("Chocolat," "My Life as a Dog") takes a modernistic approach to an old story.
This film is more reminiscent of his earlier work, such as 1985's "My Life as a Dog," rather than the more dramatic features he's done of late, including "An Unfinished Life."
Instead, Hallstrom ("My Life as a Dog," "The Cider House Rules," "Chocolat") has used Casanova's mystique for half of a dumb romantic morality play, one which expects us to believe that after meeting one centered, smart young woman, Casanova suddenly learned to get over himself!
At the helm is Swedish filmmaker Lasse Hallstrom, who directed the highly acclaimed "My Life as a Dog."
Swedish director Lasse Hallström broke out globally back in the 80's with "My Life as a Dog," going on to make one of the most moving cinematic portrayals of our relationship with canines in 2009's "Hachi: A Dog's Tale."
By the way, Hallstrom had his international breakthrough with the wonderful “My Life as a Dog,” which is almost too coincidental (that movie was about a boy, not a dog).
From 1985's "My Life as a Dog" to 1993's "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" to 2009's "Hachi: A Dog's Tale," director Lasse Hallström brings a gentle yet profound touch to his existential observations on the passage of time and the beauty of life's intimate moments.
Director Lasse Hallström, known for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and Chocolat (not to mention My Life as a Dog, which, unlike this film, isn’t about an actual canine), isn’t notably clumsy, but given a script that called for repeatedly mashing that big, red button, he’s smacked on it like the bongos in a Santana song.
While the quality of the film might suggest otherwise, “A Dog’s Purpose” is not Hallström’s first, but third dog movie, behind 1985’s far-superior “My Life As A Dog” and 2009’s well-liked “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale.”
Considering this is his second Sparks film, following 2010's "Dear John," it appears that Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lasse Hallström ("My Life as a Dog," "The Cider House Rules") has become Sparks' go-to guy.
And he's got his hooks deep into director Lasse Hallström (My Life as a Dog and The Cider House Rules), who's on board here for a second tour of duty (after Dear John).
But director Lasse Hallstrom, who helmed “Dear John,” along with “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” “My Life as a Dog,” “The Cider House Rules” and “Chocolat,” fails to elicit much suspense.
And it's all directed by Lasse Hallström who—despite being capable of making such films as My Life as a Dog, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, and Salmon Fishing in the Yemen—continues to make Sparks adaptations like Dear John and Safe Haven.
The Swedish moviemaker Lasse Hallström was brought to Hollywood following the success of the funny, moving, deeply honest My Life As a Dog .
If you’ve only seen Lasse Hallström’s most recent films, you might well take him to be a moderately talented director specializing in overly sentimental films like A Dog’s Purpose (2017), which I actually liked it more than most critics, and Safe Haven (2013), which currently holds a 12% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes .
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As a coming-of-age picture "Cinema Paradiso" is more like "Amarcord" than "My Life as a Dog," especially in scenes where the villagers attend movies to participate instead of merely watch.