Weiner-Dog (2016)

A dachshund found in an animal shelter takes a journey through four different owners: a boy (Keaton Nigel Cooke) fighting cancer with insensitive parents (Julie Delpy, Tracy Letts), a girl (Greta Gerwig) with low self esteem who runs off with a junkie (Kieran Culkin), a depressed failed screenwriter (Danny DeVito) who puts the dog in a yellow dress and attaches a bomb to it and finally a bitter dying old woman (Ellen Burstyn). So if you were expecting a warm and fuzzy dog movie for the whole family, forget about it. The director is Todd Solondz, so you know this is going to be a dark and cynical tale. The second story ends on a glimmer (a very small one) of hope but the others are real downers and Solondz saves the cruelest fate of all for the dog and if that's not enough, he rubs our faces in it. Oh, I should mention I loved every minute of this movie! Clearly Solondz has an affection for his messy screwed up characters but he refuses to sentimentalize them, though there is a rather touching scene between Culkin and his Down Syndrome brother (Connor Long). If you're an optimist, then this movie isn't for you but for those of us with a darker nature, it's a journey well taken.