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How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog

Name: How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2002-02-22
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Robin Wright, Suzi Hofrichter, Lynn Redgrave, Jared Harris

2002 | 107 min | Comedy, Drama

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With almost no lasting buzz and middling reviews (58% on Rotten Tomatoes), it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for anyone who wants a laugh. If you loved Barton Fink or Rushmore, start here.
The mood: Funny with heart.
The pace: Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 47 min.
What might put you off: Rated R: meant for adults.

The story of Peter McGowan, a chain-smoking, impotent, insomniac playwright who lives in Los Angeles. Once very successful, he is now in the tenth year of a decade-long string of production failures. He finds himself bonding with a new neighbor's lonely young daughter who has mild cerebral palsy; and during one of his middle-of-the-night strolls, he encounters his oddball doppelgänger.

How it earned its rating

CriticsBelow par
58% on Rotten Tomatoes
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Box office & staying powerBelow par
$74K worldwide on a $7 million budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 9K people sought it out in the past year

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Cast & crew

Directed by Michael Kalesniko

Kenneth BranaghPeter McGowan
Robin WrightMelanie McGowan
Suzi HofrichterAmy Walsh
Lynn RedgraveEdna
Jared HarrisFalse Peter
Peter RiegertLarry
David KrumholtzBrian Sellars
Johnathon SchaechAdam
Kaitlin HopkinsVictoria
Suzy JoachimAllana