Dogs day afternoon

>> John Duigan does suburbia in Lawn Dogs

by MATTHEW HAYS

If precocious children aren't the most annoying onscreen presence, then I don't know what the hell is. Lawn Dogs, while an interesting off-kilter film, has that annoyance in spades. Mischa Barton plays Devon, the precocious child whose annoyingly upwardly mobile (this is an intentional annoyance on the part of the filmmakers) parents have moved into a sickeningly swank town.

She's pre-pube, but that doesn't stop her. She's soon making eyes with the local lawn boy (Sam Rockwell), and with good reason--he's a complete and utter certifiable babe. Trouble is, there's a pretty clearly defined class distinction between the lawn boy--who (literally) lives in a trailer--and his new-found buddy.

Director John Duigan knows this class territory well, and it's easily the best element of the film. The folks in suburbia are easy targets, but deserving ones; their lives overflow with hypocrisy and sleaze. Rockwell is carrying on with one of the women, who visits him at his trailer on the outskirts of town for the occasional bit of the nasty. When he bumps into her at a barbeque party (he wasn't invited, he'd just finished the lawn) she pretends not to know him.

Duigan manages to build a solid relationship between Rockwell and Barton. Their bond is an entirely believable one; we can see them charming each other and gaining a good sense of intimacy (there's no pedophilia implied here, though she's clearly crushy on him). Duigan builds a canny realism; the town is just over-the-top snooty enough to make it authentic (the nouveau riche never looked so nouveau).

But Duigan stumbles in the final act. The realism built up throughout the film gives way to a bit of surrealist imagery and a god-in-the-machine ending which is truly disappointing. The conclusion feels utterly tacked on and unnecessary. We were emotionally manipulated this far for this?

Lawn Dogs owes a good chunk of its disappointment to the hype surrounding it. Critics and audiences went gaga over the film when it premiered on the fest circuit almost two years ago. So goes the old story: a film premieres at a fest, the critics swoon, word of mouth builds and a media dog-pile ensues (one that is often unwarranted). Film festivals are an important showcase for new talent; unfortunately, they are also hype machines for stuff that really isn't that hot. Sundance be damned!

Lawn Dogs opens Friday, December 4 at the Cinéma du Parc. See repertory listings for showtimes