Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006, R)

Bobcat Goldthwait is a strange man, and he wrote and directed this film.  I tend to like strange idea movies, and this one sounded like it would be a good one, but unfortunately almost all of the dialogue struck me as uninspired and the actions of the characters as lame despite the interesting concept.  The Netflix description of the movie indicates that the story is about the main character revealing a secret about herself to her fiance at the encouragement of her friends and family.  The issue of being honest or not, especially when the secret is a bombshell and being told-or-not to a (prospective) spouse, can make for a really interesting story, but this one was just disappointing compared to what it could have accomplished.  The online description tactfully left out the fact (revealed in the opening monologue, so this is not a spoiler) that her secret is that one lonely and curious night in college she fellated her dog.  She's not surprisingly disgusted by it and adamantly against telling anyone, but honestly: people do crazy things in college; it's a time of experimentation and this was one of the least harmful things she could have done (albeit taboo).  She could have gotten involved in a violent lifestyle or done drugs that harm her body, she could have gotten a full-face tattoo that would make future job interviews potentially awkward, but no.

The first half of the movie my face was in a constant mild cringe because of the steady awkwardness of the characters and situations (this means that Goldthwait accomplished his goal, not that he failed in it).  I don't find this appealing in a film, but you might.  The nearest state that I like is a quirky strangeness (I loved the first half of the series Twin Peaks, for example).  After she dropped the bomb, the awkward cringe left and I was just disappointed in the characters.  The highlight of the film by far was Brian Posehn's (television series such as Mr. Show, The Sarah Silverman Program, Reno 911, Tom Goes To The Mayor, and Just Shoot Me!) character, friend of the main character's brother.  His awkwardness was a distinctly different flavor that could be more thoroughly described as dim-witted, foot-in-the-mouth, good-natured charm.  His few appearances were a breath of fresh air, and I really liked him.  If you like the awkward tone of The Cable Guy (but dont'  mind that this has no action to it) or maybe Punch Drunk Love (which I found unpleasant but good) then you might like this, but I expect you'd be a small population.  For me I'd give it 1-1.5 out of 5 stars because it gave me so little entertainment in exchange for my time.  I almost never turn off a movie partway through because I find that the movies I like the least in the first half tend to have at least some redeeming quality in the second half... but if that was not my practice, I would have turned this off after about 30 minutes.