The Road Dog

I rented "The Road Dog" on Apple TV+. I loved this superb film! The story is compelling. Lead actor Doug Stanhope is marvelous. He fully inhabits the role. He is onscreen for virtually the entire film. The supporting cast is wonderful. Director Greg Glienna also co-wrote the screenplay, as well as writing and singing his original song over the closing credits. The screenplay, direction, acting, production design, cinematography, and music are all excellent. It's impressive how real and true-to-life this film is. The very last few scenes are not what I was expecting, but they enhanced the realness of the film. I highly recommend this very fine film.

Greg Glienna's "The Road Dog" initially seems to have all the makings of a Hallmark movie: a likable curmudgeon in need of redemption, an ex-love interest with an angelic heart, an estranged son who just wants to get to know his daddy, and of course, alcoholism. However, Glienna must be applauded for the way he avoids going down familiar routes and instead lets realism reign supreme, leading towards an ending that is heartbreaking in its honesty about our fragile human condition. Some of the actors are better than others-- there's definitely an "I've worked so hard to memorize my lines" vibe from some of the background characters -- but overall there is real sincerity and nuance in the central performances, particularly Doug Stanhope in the lead role. Does it reinvent the wheel? Absolutely not. But movies are not required to do that; they must simply tell believable human stories that we can connect with even if we don't have the protagonist's unique set of quirks and experiences, and I think this movie fulfills that. Looking forward to Greg Glienna's next project!

Doug Stanhope was great in an inside view of the life of traveling standup comedians in a world where youtube is hitting the comedy club circuit. Stanhope plays an old school comedian with a drinking problem but sticking to the convictions of his act while trying to connect to a son he abandoned early on. There are some Chicago connections with some comedians from my area.

Stanhope should definitely be nominated for an award for his acting performance. The actor that played his son did a very good job as well.

If you're a fan of standup comedy or not this heavy drama with some funny moments is highly recommended. Worth a view or three!

There's a real warmth to this movie set in the winter of discontent. Stanhope is Jimmy Quinn (read Ben Sanderson) with better jokes which should automatically qualify him for an Oscar nomination. Honestly, I went in to the movie thinking; I wonder if he'll channel Nicolas Cage. He does. At least a little bit. He goes through all the emotions in this movie. Four of them alone in 30 seconds. Most of the time he goes to his happy a lot. Because all the other emotions suck. The happy is booze. At least until the end. Which brings us to David Maranto. Played by Des Mulrooney. Good performance. First acting role. Believable as Jimmy's son. Good acting and hit the mark on the jokes especially with the love scene. So Khrystyne Haje has been a junior high-school crush of mine since the TV show Head of the Class. She is phenomenal. Never missed a beat. Great performance. Still gorgeous and that not just my opinion but also according to the Prince of Monaco. Every character plays an important role. Tim Kazurinsky, Greg Fitzsimmons, Emma Darcy who plays Heather, the Hotel receptionist; they all delivered convincingly. Killer Termites will love the modified "Ants" joke from Stanhope's Die Laughing CD. There are other old jokes Stanhope says which brought a smile to my face. To be fair there was some things that was a head scratcher. The David/Mom scene came off odd. The steal from the church had no resolution. I got the joke but to do a closer of maybe leaving a pawn shop with Jimmy saying "Looks like the Lord is worth $50 bucks" would've been subtle yet a good payoff. I know everyone's a critic. Regardless the movie works. The story is good. Lives are solved. Motivations are solved. Goals are met, save one. This is good movie. Definitely worth the watch.

I love Doug Stanhope but this movie was the pits. The acting is horrible. Doug is the only one who can act in this and he's just playing himself. The dialog is boring. This movie feels like it's been made dozens of times. Even the music they chose is so basic it just helps the movie drag. You can see where the movie is going and it ends exactly how you think it will. The set designs are so cheap nothing looks real. I was so disappointed in this and embarrassed to have wasted 4 bucks renting it. Nothing in the movie made me laugh and Doug has always made me howl in laughter. This entire movie was just boring and it's not worth your time.