Paddy Breathnach's '97 calling-card feature, I Went Down, was a smart, likeable road-movie comedy that marked the Irish director out as one to watch. Then he made Blow Dry. Clearly, Man About Dog is an attempt by Breathnach to relive his I Went Down days. After all, it's a jaunty road-movie comedy. Trouble is, despite the odd good gag, there's nothing smart or likeable about it.
It concerns a trio of losers who, of course, owe a bad guy money and seek to repay him with the help of a nippy greyhound. But the characters are little more than messy scribbles, while Breathnach attempts to draw most of his grubby humour from wanton animal cruelty. For the sake of a laugh, three dogs, one bull and a falcon die, while the big climax takes place at a hare-coursing event. Hilarious. Not