Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It's 1958 Sweden. Young boy Ingemar (Anton Glanzelius) is living with his older brother and his seriously ill mother. His best friend is a blonde little girl. The brothers are sent away when their mother gets too weak. Ingemar goes to live with his mother's odd brother Gunnar (von Brömssen) and his wife Ulla (Kicki Rundgren) in a rural town in Småland. Town tomboy Saga (Melinda Kinnaman) is a better athlete than every other boys and she grows to like Ingemar.The puppy love is adorable. This is a cute and a good deal of inappropriate coming-of-age story. It is hilarious at times. Kinnaman is funny and adorable especially when she starts getting jealous. The two of them are just adorable together.

At the end of the movie one finds out who was the dog whose life is being told. It isn't Laika sent in space at the onset of the movie, but the little boy who identifies with his dog who was put to sleep while he was away at his uncle's place. The little boys is from a modest background, grows up like the rest of the town, and faces problems many faced in those years. In his case his mom was sick and his dad was never home (had he ever been home?). At the uncle's place the boy slowly discovers other facets of the world, never losing his grace. Not much of a plot really. When I first heard about it, I thought this movie was going to suck big times, but my girlfriend of the time insisted to go see it. She was right. It isn't the plot, but the events, the pace, the closeness to real life, the innocence of the early years, ... all these things add up to an amazing experience of almost going again through childhood. I am giving it a 9 because, theoretically, there could be better movies out there, although it's gonna be tough to beat this one.

I thought this was a strange movie. It has so many good critiques that I expected something better. It was good at times, but aside that it was downright dull and with mostly unlikeable characters.Despite being a drama, it isn't as involving and deep as a drama should be. I'd like to sympathize more with the lead character, Ingemar, but I can't always do that. He is hard to evaluate: he isn't annoying, but he ain't sweet peer either. He often seemed like a retard due to his sometimes erratic behavior (such as barking like a dog). Still, he is wonderfully portrayed by the actor Anton Glanzelius.Saga, the tomboy, was another complicated character. She is supposed to like Ingemar, and yet she shows her love for him in a strange manner: by beating him up in a boxing match and hugging him during or after that. She is well played by Melinda Kinnaman.This film makes reference to Laika's story a cup of times. Despite his problems, Ingemar often seeks solace by reciting the tragic story of Laika the space dog. That is one good thing about this film, bringing some poetry and some soul to it.The Swedish film-making and cinematography is another solid point, thanks to the natural beauty of the sunny settings and the characteristic snow and freezy nordic weather.There have been complains about child nudity. What is it with everybody and this paranoia over pedophilia? Just because of one scene of child nudity in a film they already think it's pedophilia. It's scary how people got paranoid.

"My Life as a Dog" is a simple story about a 12 year old, mischievous boy, who is trying to find his way. He has a brother that he does not really get along with, a mother who is getting progressively sicker, and a dog who gives him the love that he is not able to get from either his mother or brother.To help his mother recover, he is sent packing, off to live for the summer with an uncle, where he finds a place to fit in, and friends and neighbors who are just as "strange" and mischievous.The film is a memory, neither romanticized or critical of either the boy or his family and friends. It simply tells the tale of a boy on the verge of puberty and the confusing feelings that he experiences.I didn't like the repetitive nature of the narration that occurs throughout the film, but I found myself drawn into the story and the characters.Lasse Hallstrom does a marvelous job of getting genuine, honest performances from all of his actors, who are all excellent.8 out of 10