by Mike Stuart
19/02/2007
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 89 minutes
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Sleeping Dogs is basically a romcom for the disenfranchised. Rather than immersing itself in the usual, tiresome cliches, it takes one of the most hallowed principles of the genre - the value of honesty - and puts it to the test.
The film was written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait, known to most people as the guy with the weird voice in the Police Academy movies. In many ways, this seems perfectly fitting to the dysfunctional and offbeat tone that defines this charming independent feature.
Sleeping Dogs follows Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton) - a bright and cheerful young woman with adoring parents and a wonderfully supportive boyfriend (Bryce Johnson). The harmony is quickly shattered, however, when she reveals one of her most intimate, and downright weird, sexual experiences to her boyfriend after he suggests they each disclose their darkest secret.
Needless to say, it does not go down well with him, and even less so with her parents who find out later on. What follows is a funny and twisted exploration of honesty in relationships, and an ending which, unlike the majority of films in the genre, is almost plausible.
Goldthwait successfully matches the tone of Sleeping Dogs with his rough-round-the-edges camerawork and quirky accordion-fused soundtrack. However, perhaps the greatest star of the film is Melinda Page Hamilton, who nails the part of Amy and proves herself to be an actress to look out for in the future.
Rating: 7 out of 10
Sleeping Dogs is released in the UK on March 16th, 2007
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
