Dogfight *** (1991, River Phoenix, Lili Taylor, Richard Panebianco) – Classic Movie Review 4,560

The 1991 comedy romantic drama film Dogfight stars River Phoenix in an offbeat, bittersweet tale as a 18-year old young marine who dates a frumpy waitress (Lili Taylor) for a dare.

Director Nancy Savoca’s 1991 comedy romantic drama film Dogfight stars River Phoenix, who gives a finely judged, tortured performance in this offbeat, bittersweet tale as the 18-year old young marine Eddie Birdlace, who dates a frumpy waitress called Rose Fenny (Lili Taylor) for a dare in the early Sixties.

Marine Phoenix comes home from Vietnam with a dishonourable discharge and a mind to dispel his past ghosts, particularly the memory of the dirty game called ‘dogfight’ – how the night before they went off to war in 1963 his gang competed to invite out the plainest girl. All the buddies seek a woman for a party, but the man who finds the ugliest girl, wins a prize.

Lonely anti-war Rose works in a coffee shop, where Eddie asks her out, though she sees through his game. But now Eddie likes her personality and follows her home.

This unfairly little seen movie packs quite a punch thanks to Bob Comfort’s sharp screenplay writing, the acting of a strong ensemble of players, and Savoca’s delicate handling.

The film’s good period sense is helped by an effective Sixties pop score, including tracks from Muddy Waters, The Weavers, Van Morrison, Elizabeth Cotten, Pete Seeger and Malvina Reynolds.

Also in the cast are Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark, Mitchell Whitfield, Brendan Fraser and Holly Near.

Brendan Fraser, credited as Brendon Fraser, makes his film debut as Sailor No 1 who gets into a fight with the Marines.

Dogfight premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado on August 30, 1991, and then in New York on September 13, 1991 and in Los Angeles on September 27, 1991. It was released by Warner Bros on October 4, 1991 in the US.

River Phoenix’s films

River Phoenix’s 14 films notably include Explorers (1985), Stand by Me (1986), The Mosquito Coast (1986), A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988), Little Nikita (1988),  Running on Empty (1988), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), I Love You to Death (1990), Dogfight (1991), My Own Private Idaho (1991), and Sneakers (1992) and The Thing Called Love (1993).

Silent Tongue and the uncompleted Dark Blood (his final film role, filmed in 1993 and released in 2012) were posthumous releases.

The cast

The cast are River Phoenix as Lance Corporal Eddie Birdlace, Lili Taylor as Rose Fenny, John Lacy as Fector, E G Daily as Marcie, Richard Panebianco as Berzin, Anthony Clark as Oakie, Mitchell Whitfield as Benjamin, Holly Near as Rose’s mother, Brendan Fraser as Sailor No 1, and Jessica Wallenfels as Arcade Girl.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4,560

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