Heart of a Dog
Seen it?1988 | 136 min | Drama, Comedy, Science Fiction, TV Movie
Sunday Safe BetWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
Audiences rate it highly (70% audience score), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- One for animal lovers and anyone looking to switch off and smile. An animal steals a fair few scenes. Liked Being John Malkovich? This is a good next one.
- The mood
- Funny with heart.
- The pace
- Character-first and patient, at 2 hr 16 min.
- What might put you off
- It's in Russian, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Skip it if you need something light and fast tonight.
In 1920s Moscow, shortly after the October Revolution, a stray dog named Sharik is taken in by Professor Preobrazhensky, a wealthy and respected surgeon. The professor performs a daring medical experiment on the dog that changes him into a human being. As the newly transformed Sharikov begins to navigate life in the professor’s apartment, his crude behavior and revolutionary ideas turn the household upside down.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesStrong
Our audience score: 70%
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 12K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Vladimir Bortko
- Evgeniy EvstigneevProfessor Filipp Preobrazhenskyy
- Boris PlotnikovDoctor Bormental
- Vladimir TolokonnikovSharikov
- Nina RuslanovaDarya Petrovna
- Olga MelikhovaZinochka
- Aleksei MironovFyodor
- Roman KartsevShvonder
- Anzhelika NevolinaVasnetsova
- Natalya FomenkoVyazemskaya
- Evgeniy KuznetsovPestrukhin