Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Motompa Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

HelenMary As a film, overall, this isn't going to set any bells and whistles going off, but for River's performance and it's quiet commentary of 1960s America during the Vietnam War it is brilliant. You can see why it was overlooked in the early 90s, but River Phoenix brings an elegance and a gravitas to this "little" film. He is luminous. Lili Taylor was his foil perfectly, her breathy shy performance against his bravado and puffery wears him down and the tenderness between them is touching and beautiful - something that River has demonstrated in other films, most notably My Own Private Idaho. He and Taylor worked perfectly together, her stoicism and naive strength whilst maintaining her charm and kindness. I'm sure the opportunity to work with Phoenix overrode the less than glamorous role she had to play.The film is a typical coming of age film; emphasis on boyhood expressions of rite of passage - alcohol, sex and bad language, bragging and camaraderie - made all the more poignant because they are shipping off to war the next day. The titular dogfight is a competition between the marines to pull the least attractive girl, but Birdlace (Phoenix) struggles to find someone and when he does find a plain Jane he realises that she is too good and too nice for the seedy wager and tries to get her out of it, and gets to know her in the process.The film is shown through a long flashback, and it's genius is that it doesn't over-narrate. The ending is perfect, it assumes and prompts but doesn't spell out what happens... Birdlace's arm with it's four tattoos is narration enough, and his return and reception at Rose's café says more than pages of script.A triumph.

Taylor Wiznitzer (JadeIslandReviews) "Dogfight" is one of my favorite movies and I am a picky movie watcher. Its one of the only films about the Vietnam War that doesn't actually take place in the actual war. Instead, the focus is right here and how its effecting us here. The film stars River Phoenix and Lili Taylor in my favorite roles of theirs as Eddie Birdlace and Rose Fenny, respectively.The film takes place in 1963, specifically the day before John F. Kennedy is assassinated. Eddie Birdlace (Phoenix) is one of four soon-to-be-shipped-out marines who is looking for a date for a marines' night out. After searching all day, he comes across Rose Fenny (Taylor) who works at her mother's diner. She agrees to go with him but later discovers that it is a "dogfight": a competition where the ugliest woman the marines can find is the winner.The reason I truly love (and I mean LOVE) this film is the simple romance. There is no kissing in the rain, no fireworks, no chasing the woman at the airport before her flight takes off or any of that lame and cheesy stuff Hollywood does now. Its just Eddie and Rose talking and laughing and having a good time together. Sometimes, just showing people live their lives is enough. Life as we know it IS interesting. You don't need the "...you complete me" or the "public proclamation of love" to be interesting. I enjoyed seeing Eddie and Rose's love evolve naturally and realistically.Phoenix and Taylor have unique chemistry. The viewer can tell they want to fall in love but don't know how. They see the bridge, but don't have the courage to cross it. That's powerful and you can see that through the acting. There is a lot funny moments and well executed dramatic moments. The end (which I won't spoil) is one of the BEST endings to a romantic film I have ever seen.The acting is amazing. The story is simple yet so beautiful and realistic. The characters are relatable and real and likable. The directing is perfect. The atmosphere is perfect. The music selections are great and represent the times perfectly. The dialogue is great; the characters say things that we people say in real life.There are absolutely NO WORDS to describe how much I love this movie. Its a shame its not more well known and I wish more people knew about it. This film puts recent romantic films and romantic comedies to shame. Forget about Jennifer Aniston, Katherine Heigl or Sarah Jessica Parker romantic films. Watch "Dogfight"...you won't be sorry and you may look at life a little differently.

DontWryBHappy Dogfight was an awesome movie, one of the best I've ever seen. I would give it 4 stars! It was sad, funny, romantic, and exciting all at the same time! River Phoenix did an excellent job in his role as Birdlace, a callous Marine. And Lili Taylor fit the part as Rose perfectly! It also sends a great message, that you cant judge a book by its cover. I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys great love stories. It was definitely a tear-jerker for me, (actually, I cried at the beginning, middle, and end!) This is the PERFECT movie for couples, or girls who are about to give up on love, because this film shows that you never know when, where, or how you are going to meet your true love.

recklessron Engrossing tale that hooks you into the two main characters.It slowly builds them into a wonderful romance for 95% of the film - all set prior to the Vietnam War - and then spends no time at all on the war, the male protagonists role in it, his return and their ultimate reunion, which takes all of 1 minute.In the last few minutes the film raises the question of whether their one night of passion has produced an offspring but then leaves that, and the rest of the questions surrounding the couple, unanswered.As such, I found it to be an unsatisfying experience despite being entertained for the majority of the film.Without the last 10 minutes, and at the same pace, this could easily have been part one of an epic trilogy.