The Road Dog

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!

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.

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.

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!

Well, Doug Stanhope is without doubt a stand up comic of absolutely unparalleled ... what?..... well he's the best stand up comedian bar none of the last 2 or 3 decades. Hes mostly terrible in this though. Occasionally, against all the odds, he's really good . It's not his fault, because the direction is appalling as is absolutely everything else. Stanhope is very very good in that episode of Louis C K's 'Louis' for example but The Road Dog is a disaster. I hope they paid him well and I love the irony in which he must surely have swam before taking on this gig - supremely cynical as always - he deserves good pay. But whatever you do don't watch this film. It wallows about in lazy American therapyland cliche and sentimentality and most of the acting is dire. Unless, of course you already know, like me that Stanhope is a true great and will just buy the film anyway. But for feks sake don't watch it.