How to Kill Your Neighbor's Dog
Artistic License | Release Date: February 22, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
40
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
2
Mixed:
7
Negative:
4
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Branagh shows us the comedy of a man who is too clever to understand that in the guise of dreading fatherhood, he is really at war with how much he longs for it. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
That's a lot just to justify a cute title, but cuteness is the engine driving the slight, obvious but occasionally very funny film. Read full review
60
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Reminds us that when it comes to comedy, it's all in the writing. Mr. Kalesniko's satirically barbed screenplay, whose spirit harks back to the comic heyday of Blake Edwards, stirs up an insistent verbal energy that rarely flags. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
This slight slice of L.A. life is distinguished by two fine, subtle performances. Redgrave is quietly heartbreaking-- Penn accomplishes the daunting task of revealing the spine beneath Melanie's sweet-natured tolerance of her perpetually disagreeable husband. Read full review
50
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Without Branagh's pitch-perfect comedic skills the entire movie could have been crushed under the avalanche of quips and wisecracks tumbling from Kalesniko's too-clever-by-half pen. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Gets most of the big things wrong and almost all the little things right. For two-thirds of its running time, it's a nasty little delight with an amusing and curmudgeonly central character. Read full review
50
VarietyDavid Rooney
While the direction is a little anonymous and could use some verve, the comedy-drama gets by thanks to a solid script, witty dialogue and engaging performances. Read full review
40
New Times (L.A.)Andy Klein
Fact is, there is nothing feloniously awful about the whole thing, but the laughs are tepid and too infrequent. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
A movie with a lot on its plate, but nothing interesting on its mind. Read full review
30
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
A pathetic wallow, first in misanthropy and later in sentimentality. Read full review
30
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A dreary title for an even drearier picture. Read full review
20
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
After missing the film on the small screen the first time around, I recently watched it on video, and can only conclude that my screen wasn't small enough.
10
Village VoiceJustine Elias
Next to this, even "Mean Machine's" painless soft-tissue spikings and fast-fixing broken limbs are believable -- and way funnier. Read full review
More From This Movie

40 Critic Reviews

6.8 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL