ON SCREEN: In restored ‘Dogfight,' River Phoenix and Lili Taylor star in unique romance (2024)

In a superb Instagram video posted recently, Irish actress Kerry Condon let the world know that “Dogfight,” an independent feature from 1991, is her favorite movie.

Condon is noted most for her roles in a quartet of Avengers films, a Spider-Man picture, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and “The Banshees Of Inisherin.”

In an extended commentary, the actress said that “Dogfight” is the one movie that specifically informed her views on acting and, ultimately, about love. She speaks eloquently regarding her appreciation of the film in the Criterion Collection’s Instagram account.

“Dogfight” may not be a work that pops up often on lists of truly beloved films; however, I agree with Condon, it absolutely deserves to be seen. It’s a movie I also like immensely, and thanks to Criterion, you can watch it in a newly released Blu-ray 2K restoration.

The Blu-ray package includes Criterion’s usual and highly welcome cache of extras. The new visual clarity is supervised by the film’s director, Nancy Savoca, with a 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. The audio commentary features Savoca and producer Richard Guay.

There are numerous interviews, including one conducted with lead actress Lili Taylor and Savoca by filmmaker Mary Harron, who directed “I Shot Andy Warhol,” “American Psycho,” and “Daliland.” English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing and an essay by film critic Christina Newland are also included.

“Dogfight” is a bittersweet dramatic fable with beautiful touches of gentle comedy and impending romance. A young woman helps a confused young man come to terms with who he really is emotionally and psychologically because he genuinely needs to find a way to understand and grasp the better side of his own human nature. The fact that what he will discover about himself occurs just before he’s due to ship out to fight in the Vietnam War makes the story even more powerful and poignant.

The setting is San Francisco in 1963, with President John F. Kennedy soon to be assassinated. River Phoenix plays Lance Corporal Eddie Birdlace, an 18-year-old Marine, who is going to celebrate a final night stateside with fellow Marines from boot camp. The young men decide to use their leave to stage what’s called a “dogfight.” This is an act of cruel machismo in which they will take over a bar and hold a contest to see who among them can find the least attractive female date. The Marine with the best “dog” wins the money that’s been added to a betting pool.

In his own shy and self-effacing way, Eddie is uncomfortable with the game, but he joins in and ultimately settles on taking Rose Fenny (acted by the aforementioned Taylor) to the “dogfight,” more out of desperation than anything else. Truth be told, she is not unattractive at all, and she has an aura about her that causes her to stand out in a unique way. Rose isn’t like the other girls, but rather she’s a vulnerable amateur poet, who prefers listening to Joan Baez songs rather than spending a night drunk and stupid with strangers. She’s not a hippie by any stretch of the imagination, but she is countercultural in a moderate way. None of the Marines are aware of the truth, but Rose decides to go out with Eddie because she feels sorry for him.

Rose’s strength and passion erupt after she learns about the “dogfight.” She excoriates Eddie, but not so much for how she was chosen, but because of what is happening to the other victims of the prank, some of whom would be crushed to discover that the Marines think they are ugly. Rose storms out, but Eddie follows her. He’s embarrassed for his role in the game and overwhelmed with respect for her fierce determination and honest anger. He’s never met a woman like her. After a mumbling apology from him, the couple decides to go to dinner at the fanciest restaurant they can find.

“Dogfight” is a movie made in the nineties about the legendary Sixties. It captures superbly the changing rules and re-evaluation of gender roles of the era. Director Savoca perfectly pinpoints the moment when a young woman realizes that the primary purpose of many male bonding rituals was the humiliation of women. Her main female character has been unexpectedly caught up in a game that shouldn’t be played.

Importantly, the film is not preachy. Bob Comfort’s screenplay is filled with truth-telling, both serious and light-hearted. Rose comes from a perceptive position that each man can, if he tries, be unique, none more so than Eddie. For her part, Savoca concentrates on how the couple can find common ground. The director’s message is that with proper understanding, no one should feel lonely. Loneliness is an unhealthy off-shoot of a lack of communication.

“Dogfight” delivers strong and beautiful elements of tenderness. Part of its success is derived from the acting of Phoenix and Taylor. They were both essential motion picture performers in the late 1980s and early-1990s, and they offered great promise for the film industry. Phoenix’s tragic death at age 23 in 1993 deprived the movie world of an extraordinary young talent. One of his best performances can be seen in director Gus Van Sant’s remarkable “My Own Private Idaho,” which is also available from Criterion.

Much has been said and written about the fact that social media often deprives the world of a invaluable sense of human connection. Sensitivity is falling by the wayside. “Dogfight” lets us appreciate the vitality and importance of talking to other people, of exchanging ideas in person, and of understanding the true nature of people’s problems, wants, and needs.

Eddie, who is understandably concerned about his future, must realize where he fits in, and Rose is willing to guide him. In “Dogfight,” characters eventually talk to each other, not past each other. It’s a refreshing way to construct a movie, and it works wonderfully well.

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