Amusing in bits n pieces but sterile for the most part, Wiener-Dog is an uninvolving, uninteresting & unappealing indie that attempts to find humour in the mundane lives of the dull characters that inhabit this feature with little success and stays on the base level throughout its runtime.
The story of Wiener-Dog follows the journey of its titular character, a dachshund that passes from one eccentric owner to another and leaves its imprints in their dysfunctional lives. The plot covers four story lines, in addition to an unexpected intermission in this 88 minutes narrative.
Written & directed by Todd Solondz, there is a quirky element present in the picture from the start and even though the movie is richly photographed & makes extensive use of bright colour palette, the content is just as empty from within as the lives of its broken characters. In short, the laughs are few & far in between.
The cast comprises of Julie Delpy, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Burstyn, Danny DeVito & others, and most of them do have their individual moments to shine. Delpy has one hell of a story to tell, Gerwig is delightful as always, DeVito's segment is the most interesting, while Burstyn outacts others in her part by simply sitting around.
On an overall scale, Wiener-Dog may work best for those who are familiar with the director's earlier works but for newcomers, there isn't really much that's stimulating enough on an emotional level. It does address its themes of mortality & existence with flair and wraps itself up with an ending that no one saw coming but as a comedy, this indie is one bland example with not much to offer.
