The Road Dog

The Road Dog is a gritty, no frills-look into the inner-life of alcoholic comedian Jimmy Quinn (Doug Stanhope). Confronting the question of who he is in light of a career built around and fueled by his identity as an addict, he reckons with his past, present and future through the nudging of his estranged, 21 year old son, David (Des Mulrooney). With a retro-flair, The Road Dog threads the needle between cynicism, and detached fantasies for a better tomorrow. It is a sobering look at the tension between money/authenticity, self-determination/addiction, and hope/hopelessness in a rapidly changing industry that is progressively upholding marketability over the authentic human suffering of the performer. As the world sees all sorts of media lean more on the creative powers of AI, The Road Dog probes the question of what makes human art and the act of redemption meaningful or authentic in light of human suffering. Stanhope and the supporting cast are fantastic. Especially impressed by Des Mulrooney (first role) as Stanhope's well-meaning son, whose hopes and gradual exasperation cuts bone-deep. Emotional, honest and worth a watch for anyone looking to explore cycles of human trauma and redemption in the comedy industry.

The Road Dog has so much to offer. Humor, depth, soul-searching, complex characters and incredible acting. This film made me think. The need to be true to oneself and the desire to achieve artistic success on your own terms. The need to belong, to be loved, even in the face of adversity. I really enjoyed the story line between the father and son. It was hard to watch sometimes. But they managed to find a common ground, sense of awe, love and admiration. I will probably never look at comedy the same. It is not for the weak. It's certainly not for the feint of Heart. It's an art that takes fearlessness and genius. Well done!!!

Doug Stanhope was great in an inside view of the life of traveling standup comedians in a world where youtube is hitting the comedy club circuit. Stanhope plays an old school comedian with a drinking problem but sticking to the convictions of his act while trying to connect to a son he abandoned early on. There are some Chicago connections with some comedians from my area. Stanhope should definitely be nominated for an award for his acting performance. The actor that played his son did a very good job as well. If you're a fan of standup comedy or not this heavy drama with some funny moments is highly recommended. Worth a view or three!

I rented "The Road Dog" on Apple TV+. I loved this superb film! The story is compelling. Lead actor Doug Stanhope is marvelous. He fully inhabits the role. He is onscreen for virtually the entire film. The supporting cast is wonderful. Director Greg Glienna also co-wrote the screenplay, as well as writing and singing his original song over the closing credits. The screenplay, direction, acting, production design, cinematography, and music are all excellent. It's impressive how real and true-to-life this film is. The very last few scenes are not what I was expecting, but they enhanced the realness of the film. I highly recommend this very fine film.

There's a real warmth to this movie set in the winter of discontent. Stanhope is Jimmy Quinn (read Ben Sanderson) with better jokes which should automatically qualify him for an Oscar nomination. Honestly, I went in to the movie thinking; I wonder if he'll channel Nicolas Cage. He does. At least a little bit. He goes through all the emotions in this movie. Four of them alone in 30 seconds. Most of the time he goes to his happy a lot. Because all the other emotions suck. The happy is booze. At least until the end. Which brings us to David Maranto. Played by Des Mulrooney. Good performance. First acting role. Believable as Jimmy's son. Good acting and hit the mark on the jokes especially with the love scene. So Khrystyne Haje has been a junior high-school crush of mine since the TV show Head of the Class. She is phenomenal. Never missed a beat. Great performance. Still gorgeous and that not just my opinion but also according to the Prince of Monaco. Every character plays an important role. Tim Kazurinsky, Greg Fitzsimmons, Emma Darcy who plays Heather, the Hotel receptionist; they all delivered convincingly. Killer Termites will love the modified "Ants" joke from Stanhope's Die Laughing CD. There are other old jokes Stanhope says which brought a smile to my face. To be fair there was some things that was a head scratcher. The David/Mom scene came off odd. The steal from the church had no resolution. I got the joke but to do a closer of maybe leaving a pawn shop with Jimmy saying "Looks like the Lord is worth $50 bucks" would've been subtle yet a good payoff. I know everyone's a critic. Regardless the movie works. The story is good. Lives are solved. Motivations are solved. Goals are met, save one. This is good movie. Definitely worth the watch.

Trailer—The Road Dog

The Road Dog