November 25 - Must Love Dogs

This movie has a scene that happens today – November 25. I hope you will enjoy this film and watch it tonight.

MUST LOVE DOGS

Sarah Nolan is a divorced forty-year-old preschool teacher. Jake Anderson is a recently divorced boat builder. Both have friends and family who want them to start dating again.Sarah’s sister Carol creates a profile for her at perfectmatch.com that includes “must love dogs”. Sarah goes on several disastrous dates including one where she answers her own father’s ad. Then Jake’s friend Charlie tells Jake he has set up a date for him with Sarah. They meet at a park each with a borrowed dog. It is awkward, but Sarah agrees to see him again. On their next date they start to have sex, but when they realize neither has protection they go to get it, but by then neither is in the mood. Later Bob, the father of one of her students calls Sarah, but gets cut off by Dolly, a friend of Sarah’s father, who needs her help. After dealing with this Sarah goes to see Bob, but leaves when she discovers he is with June, one of her co-workers, dropping her phone in her hasty departure. Back at home she finds Jake has come over and has cared for her drunken brother Michael, who came to see her to discuss his marital problems. The next day Jake takes Sarah rowing and they kiss before Jake takes Michael home. Bob shows up, returns her phone, says he and June aren’t involved, and then kisses Sarah just as Jake returns. Jake leaves very upset. On November 25, 2004 [1:08:25 to 1:12:49] Jake visits a strip club on Thanksgiving while Sarah has dinner with all her family. She calls Bob and they go away for a weekend tryst. When it’s over he admits he had sex with June and Sarah is just a one-night stand. Sarah feels humiliated by this. Sarah later sees Jake, but runs away when she realizes he is on a date with Sherry, a girl his friend Charlie had previously tried to set him up with. Jake is getting ready to sell his boat to a man who wants to cut it in half to use a wall decoration when he meets a man, who [unknown to Jake] is Sarah’s father and in the course of their conversation Jake says a woman recently broke his heart. Later her father says something that makes Sarah realize her father had met Jake and that Jake meant her. She races off to find Jake and with the help of a female scull team catches up to him while out rowing for the last time in his boat. They reconcile and later get married.

A decent romantic comedy. However, it takes a deux ex machina in the form of a chance encounter to resolve the plot. Still both Lane and Cusack play their roles with an earnestness that raises this movie above the usual sappy chick flick level.  

Thanksgiving was on this date in 2004.

Producers - Polly Cohen, Brad Hall and Ronald G Smith

Director - Gary David Goldberg

Screenplay - Claire Cook and Gary David Goldberg

Runtime – 1 hour 38 minutes

Released - July 29, 2005

Starring –

Diane Lane as Sarah Nolan

John Cusack as Jake Anderson

Elizabeth Perkins as Carol Nolan

Brad William Henke as Leo

Stockard Channing as Dolly

Christopher Plummer as Bill Nolan

Colin Egglesfield as David

Ali Hillis as Christine Nolan

Dermot Mulroney as Bob Connor

Victor Webster as Eric

Julie Gonzalo as June

Jordana Spiro as Sherry

Glenn Howerton as Michael

Krikor Satamian as Armenian Restaurant Owner