Absolutely Fantastic

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Sometimes films just click - and this is a film that had everything right - the right actors cast in the right roles, the right screenplay, the right direction and the right story line. The result is an absolutely unforgettable film that takes you on a delightful roller-coaster ride of emotions that you will want to experience again and again. The performance of River Phoenix and Lili Taylor make this film timeless.The storyline is pretty much this - young marines on the eve of shipping out to the eventual destination of Vietnam stopping over in San Francisco with an pretty sick party idea - a competition with prize money for who can bring the ugliest woman. The real essence of the story begins when the date of one young marine finds out the true purpose of her presence at the party and stands up to him - verbally ripping him to shreds before storming out with as much dignity as she can muster - and his immediate true remorse and shame - resulting in his pursuit of the girl he initially wanted to use as part of a cruel competition but ends up falling deeply for.I have seen a few of River Phoenix's films and i have to say after experiencing him in the role of Eddie Birdlace it is absolutely impossible to imagine any other actor that could come close to presenting us this initially downright unlikeable character in such an layered and completely charming way. Even his role in Stand by Me pales in comparison with what he has managed to pull off here. Though the character of Birdlace represents the young, cocky, male macho teen generation on the brink of manhood - with a large capacity for insensitivity when it comes to the opposite sex - he effortlessly manages to reveal layer by layer the hidden sensitivity and sweetness of this character that only a person like Rose could bring out. He manages to convey emotion in a 2 second look that the majority of actors would not be able to achieve in an entire film. I think that River never looked sexier or played a character so detached from who he was as a person in real life - but who the audience could believe so easily that it wasn't acting - the mark of a true artist - imagine what he could have achieved had he not left us so young.As for Lili Taylor - one word - AMAZING - this woman was born to act! Lili Taylor plays the character of Rose in an ugly duckling role that has you wishing by the end of the film that you had a smidgen Rose's appeal and true beauty. A young girl on the brink of womanhood who while she embodies all the insecurities that a non-pretty girl at that age has towards the opposite sex, she nevertheless chooses to hope, trust and put herself out there in order to experience life and not let it pass her by stuck in her mother's diner - even after a humiliating experience.The way the film takes you on the characters journey together throughout the evening is believable and natural - you begin to truly like Eddie and see why Rose is attracted to him and you begin to LOVE Rose even more. The story progresses in such a way that you could totally believe that two such different people could fall in love (real love) in the space of a night. The intimate scenes between Eddie and Rose are full of the angst, hesitancy and downright passion that only first love can bring. In my opinion the ending is appropriate and respectful of the type of love the two discovered on that fateful first night.I repeat that it is a movie that will stay with you and one that you will want to re-visit again and again - a film that i consider a true masterpiece of the simplicity and power of human emotion and what can happen when people get down to just being themselves and taking a chance of opening up to another human being.

Interesting story focusing on hot-tempered, booze-loving, foul-mouthed Eddie Birdlace (brilliantly played by river phoenix)and his quest for an ugly-duckling to take with him to a dogfight. birdlace and his three friends each put in money for a bet, the one who takes the ugliest date to the dogfight wins the pot of money. Just before the dogfight begins, birdlace begins to have feelings for his date and as the movie progresses he falls deeper and deeper in love with her. Rose, his date to the dogfight (brilliantly played by Lili Taylor)also begins to fall in love with Eddie. There is romance, comedy, drama, swearing and lots more. This brilliantly acted and affectionate movie is well-worth watching and will probably have some in tears at the end. Co-stars include Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark and Mitchell Whitfield. This film definitely won my approval, a well acted movie which is well cast down to the small roles. I give it a strong 9 out of 10.

I first watched Dogfight as an 18yr teenager living on an army barracks in Australia it was a movie that I enjoyed and could relate to slightly, after knowing quite a few soldiers! But I came across the film once more, now years later and so it has both a sentimentality to it especially now as River isn't alive anymore and I'm not so young! This film is gentle and it is so real and the actors are magic on it, I believe in their characters and the characters all mean something special to me. Eddie Birdlace is just a version of so many young soldiers that join up and suddenly find themselves in a culture of bragging and shagging and the loyalty to their army buddies is fiercely upheld. I was also a chubby young girl who knew how it felt to be embarrassed when a group of army boys went by and would blush under their smirks so I definitely related to Rose as well, and it tugged on my heartstrings so much. THis movie touches my heart and I don't think you can ask much more of a movie than that.

DOGFIGHT is one of favorite films. The two leads actors share perfect a chemistry, making their interaction a pleasure to watch. Not to mention, Mr. Phoenix's screen presence is incredible. In fact, I could've followed him around the whole night. Furthermore, there is a great amount of foreshadowing on and off the screen. When Eddie (Phoenix) discusses Vietnam, he mentions its a small mess and that he'll be back in a few months. We, however, know that a different course lies ahead. In addition, this is one of Mr. Phoenix's final films, a glimpse of a magnificent only two years before his tragic demise. As a result, actor-character parallel almost each other, which I found to be truly sad. In addition, I give my credits to Bob and Nancy for executing a perfect ending. Yet, for me, this picture will always be a testament to one of the finest actors of our generation; may his spirit live on.Ted's Grade: A-