This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A cute dog suffers at the hands of uncaring humans in "Wiener-Dog," writer-director Todd Solondz's newest peek into the dark recesses of humanity.
Solondz strings together four vignettes, roughly corresponding to four stages of life, with the only common factor a silent dachshund who is passed from one to the next.
First, the dog is given to Remi (Keaton Nigel Cooke), a young cancer survivor, though the dog's care falls to Remi's resentful parents (Tracy Letts, Julie Delpy). From there, the dog winds up with Greta Gerwig's character, Dawn — seemingly a grown-up version of the seventh-grade heroine of Solondz's 1995 breakthrough "Welcome to the Dollhouse" — who goes on the road, dog in tow, with former classmate Brandon (Kieran Culkin). Later, after a comical intermission, the dog lands with Dave (Danny DeVito), a dejected film professor and failed screenwriter. Finally, the dog becomes pet to an elderly woman (Ellen Burstyn) who is visited by her scrounging granddaughter (Zosia Mamet).
The stories vary in quality and dramatic impact, as Solondz mixes pathos with absurdity in ways that sometimes connect and sometimes feel cruel to his characters, especially that poor little doggie.
'Wiener-Dog'
Opens Friday, July 8, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for language and some disturbing content; 88 minutes.