Cheap Lawn Dogs (DVD) (Sam Rockwell, Kathleen Quinlan) (John Duigan) Price

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Customer Reviews of Lawn Dogs

I can't stop watching it!
Why is it the best films are always the ones you never hear about? This film is almost three years old and I've just discovered this treasure. Mischa Barton and Sam Rockell are simply amazing. I wasn't surprised to discover the writer is a poet and playwright. The movie is likely poetry on the screen. The satire, images, and symbology were wonderfully done. And of course none of this could have worked if not for the tremendous talent of young Mischa Barton. She is captivating from the first scene. For the reviewer who seemed to have trouble with the storyline-- this movie does not follow the traditional plot line. In that it is wonderfully rewarding as each scene is a fresh surprise right up til the very end! And the scene where Trent touches her scar is certainly not done inappropriately. In fact, it reinforces the entire theme of hypocrisy. The wealthy boy who truly meant to harm Devon doesn't get a second thought from her parents, but Trent (who intends NO harm to Devon) is immediately found guilty by all involved. If you enjoy character driven movies, don't miss this one!

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A Poetic Slice of Americana
At the centre of John Duigan's beautiful and lyrical film is a brilliant performance by Sam Rockwell. As Trent the "white trash" living in a trailer, he gives a knowing and intelligent performance as a man, who has lived with this label his whole life. And the more we get to learn about him, about his life during his school years, about his family and watch the relationship he forges with 10 year old Devon, the more interesting and sympathetic he becomes.

There is no preciousness or cuteness to Duigan's film, its magic lies in its understatment and its sharply drawn characters. For once a 10 year old in a movie doesn't seem to be posing for an ad, but gives a strong performance as a girl wise beyond her years. And like in so many other films which unite outcasts, Devon and Trent become close friends. This is not what the film is about though, the friendship between them is only a hook to draw veiwers in, what this film is really about is class devide, stereotyping of people and misleading appearances.

Christopher McDonald and Kathline Quinlan as Devon's parents are a couple who seem to be raising their daughter out of a parenting magazine. They are involved, worried and completely impersonal. But there is a subtext to this, the father who hates looking at his daughter's scar is a driven workaholic with all the right words but none of the feeling. The mother doesn't have a job so she vents off in other ways.

As we watch these events develop to the powerful and poetic conclusion of the film we are completely absorbed from start to finish. What seperates this film from similar sounding dross like Digging To China is its genuine heartfelt investment in its characters rather then cheap heart tugging tactics. It is a wonderful film. Also recomended by John Duigan are Sirens, Flirting and The Year My Voice Broke.

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"I don't like ribbons and I got me a hangover."
"Lawn Dogs" from Australian director John Duigan is a really remarkable film. It's the story of 10-year-old Devon (Mischa Barton) who lives with her parents Morton and Clare Stockard (Christopher McDonald & Kathleen Quinlan). The Stockards live in the ostentatious gated community, Camelot Estates--and as the name implies, every house looks like a faux mansion. There's a gruff security guard dedicated to keeping the snobs in and the riff raff out. But someone has to keep those immaculate lawns impeccably green, and that's where Trent (Sam Rockwell) comes in.

Trent lives near the Camelot Estates in a tatty old trailer, and Devon, who embarks on a cookie sale, finds her way to Trent's trailer. Trent is the living embodiment of everything her parents abhor and turn away from in horror. Devon intuitively senses that Trent's existence challenges her parents' shallow values, and one of the things she tells him is "people say you're trash." This is the beginning of an odd friendship between Devon and Trent.

There is such much going on in this film. On one level, there's a precocious child who seeks out the forbidden company of the hired help. But on another level, there's a perverse fairy story--Devon, a frail child--mutters fragments of fairy stories to herself for entertainment. She discovers a remarkably free world beyond the boundaries of her artificial kingdom.

Mischa Barton plays Devon with amazing skill. It would be easy for her character to develop into brattiness, but instead Devon seems almost a changeling child--how could such an elf-like spirit belong to the pedestrian, hypocritical Stoddards? It's no wonder Devon strains to break free from the false conventions the Stoddards attempt to control her with.

The film also deals with class divisions. The well-to-do (and they are mostly snottily unpleasant) live in the pristine Camelot Estates, but from necessity, they employ Trent to complete the manual work. While wealthy yobos harass and ridicule Trent, it's clear that on some level, these lay-abouts are also a little fearful of Sam's raw energy and potent virility. Hostility seems rooted in the theory that Trent is out to ruin the lifestyle of Camelot Estates, and that he may even appeal to the women within this perfect, gated community. Devon is drawn to Sam, and while their relationship seems inexplicable at first, it seems that they do have something in common. Devon remains a unique individual in spite of all her parents' attempts to make her conform by offering little pep talks ("a popular girl is never bored or boring"). Devon responds by playing Amputee Checkers with her dolls. I am not one normally to be intrigued with the characters of children in films, but with Devon, I make an exception. At what age does individualism become apparent? Is Devon's rebellion just the beginning or the end of a new phase in her life? We imagine that a gated community is built to keep out undesirable elements, but what happens if an individual (Devon in this case) longs to get out? I have read many negative professional reviews about this film, but it's a great favourite with me. If you enjoy this film, then I also recommend "You Can Count On Me."--displacedhuman.