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River Phoenix, Lili Taylor, Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark, Mitchell Whitfield ... see more see more... , Holly Near , Neal Allen , Jillian Armenante , Barb Benedetti , Art Cahn , Dale Carman , Elizabeth Daily , George Evans , Krisha Fairchild , Albert Farrar , Bonnie Fox , Brendan Fraser , John Fry , Kristie Gamer , Brian Gotta , Sandra Ellis Lafferty , Jacob Luft , Ron Lynch , Dave MacIntyre , Christina Mastin , Constance McCord , Ivars Mikelson , Jason Moore , Sue Morales , Bob Munns , Raf Orozco , Burke Pearson , Peg Phillips , Chris San Nicholas , Julian Schembri , Christopher Shaw , Matt Skerritt , Angie Utt , Jessica Wallenfells , Frank and Walters , Anne Elizabeth Washburn , Denise Williams , Dion Williams , John Lacy , Kenneth Utt , Charles F. Vetter Jr. , Joseph Franklin

River Phoenix stars in this period drama about a young man, naive in some ways and worldly in others, who learns an important lesson about the nature of beauty. In the fall of 1963, Eddie Birdlace (Ri... read more read more...ver Phoenix) is an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer who is about to ship out with three of his buddies for a tour of duty in Viet Nam. Planning a massive blowout for their last night in San Francisco, Eddie, his buddies, and a number of other Marines set up a contest they call a "dog fight." Each man contributes $50 to the pot, and whoever can bring the ugliest date for their meeting that night at the bar wins the prize. Not having much luck finding a suitable contestant, Eddie finds a plain and slightly zaftig woman named Rose Feeney (Lili Taylor), who works in a coffeeshop and dreams of a career as a folk singer. Rose agrees to go out with Eddie, partly because she feels sorry for him, but as the evening wears on, Eddie finds himself growing fond of Rose and tries to worm his way out of taking her to the "party" he's told her so much about. When Rose learns the true nature of the contest, she is furious, not just for herself but for the other women who were cruelly and pointlessly humiliated; Eddie, severely chagrined, asks her out to dinner, hoping to somehow earn her forgiveness. Noted folk singer Holly Near appears as Rose's mother. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

83% liked it

7,328 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

17 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Nancy Savoca

Release Date: September 13, 1991

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DVD Release Date: January 7, 2003

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Stats: 384 reviews

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Birdlace & Rose Birdlace & Rose River Phoenix - DOGFIGHT Dogfight
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Flixster Reviews (384)

  • FrizzDrop
    December 28, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Dogfight is cruel, poignant, and yet played out. This is one of the more unique period pieces, an independent film made right at the peak of River Phoenix's fame and only several years before his subsequent death. The story is one that makes little sense in the way of meaning. Th... read moree span of time is the early sixties, right as the folk scene was starting to gain momentum and the Vietnam War was turning from a conflict to a full scale war. Most of the plot relies heavily on the setting to compliment the storyline. Though this is supposed to be about what beauty really means I didn't see much in the way of Birdlace's (Phoenix) change in demeanor or values, only selfish behavior. Though he takes advantage of Rose (Lili Taylor) and you can tell he feels bad about it before going through with the demeaning act itself, he still demonizes himself by taking her in the first place and not standing up for her directly. He even lies to her while trying to apologize for the cruel way he treated her. The character is a severe detraction from what Marines were. It's not that his portrayal was unrealistic of what wartime soldiers were like, but the script undersells their intelligence at every turn and instead tries to sell us on brotherhood, and an entire side storyline about the folk music scene. Rose is a simplistic clod of a girl, who isn't unattractive, and shouldn't fall for his line of bullshit. Though the film is about changing yourself through acceptance and tolerance, Rose shouldn't have let him try to change himself by using her, and he sure shouldn't have started things with her the night before he was being shipped out. I accept many of these faults because the romance was actually quite sweet. It shouldn't have happened in the first place, but the endearing performance from Phoenix pushed me into liking this despite everything. This is a great performance for him, and Taylor who would go on to make the horrid version of The Haunting. Though this film drags (which is odd since it comes in at an hour and a half) it does plant the idea that what you're led to believe isn't always what's right, and any movie that promotes equality and understanding, no matter how clumsy a way they go about it, gets some kudos from me.
  • moonrivers
    October 2, 2011
    moonrivers
    A touching little gem of a piece as a new couple enjoy a night on the town before he ships overseas to be an advisor in Vietnam. Phoenix and Taylor are amazing. I'd never heard of it before! Did I give it 3 stars? Shoulda been 4.
  • fb1216165431
    September 9, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Set San Francisco, California during the Vietnam War, Dogfight conceives the innocent and inexperienced relationship of an unsophisticated woman and a young United States Marine she met on the eve of his trip to Vietnam. Most hilarious. Most charming. Most romantic. My personal b... read morerand of romance. Lovely.
  • LitelBluHli
    October 14, 2009
    LitelBluHli
    Aw..the ending was sweet and sad at the same time.
  • dreamfaeries
    September 22, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    Mean and he deserves to suffer...
  • michaelcorleone
    January 14, 2009
    michaelcorleone
    This endearing, uniquely funny romance movie works as well as it does because River Phoenix and Lili Taylor turn in such convincing, interesting performances. Towards the conclusion, the film scrambles a bit and shifts gears too abruptly, but that's a mild complaint about a very ... read moreentertaining movie. I liked it a lot.
  • fb25827189
    April 30, 2011
    fb25827189
    One of the most unlikely of on-screen pairings with River Phoenix and Lili Taylor. Phoenix plays a Marine about to ship off to Vietnam with four of his buddies, on their last night before heading out they stage a "Dogfight" which is where everyone puts money into a pot and procee... read moreds to find the ugliest girl they can find and bring her to a party, the one with the ugliest girl, wins. Needless to say things get bad for the Marine and the lonely and shy girl he picked catches wind of the cruel prank. So he spends the rest of the night trying to make it up to the girl and in doing so they both fall for each other, and a love that will stand a war and several years is born out of the most unlikeliest of situations. Lili Taylor has always been one of my favorite actresses and this is probably one of my favorite roles she has ever done. This also can be said about the late River Phoenix who is fantastic. The film itself is quite honestly one of the quirkiest and best Romance movies I have ever seen.
  • ileo
    April 10, 2007
    ileo
    Loved this film in my teens!

    This is on my sis's favorite movies list, right Wan!?
  • jamilyn0276
    September 22, 2008
    jamilyn0276
    Dogfight is a movie that I truly adore. I have seen this film over and over. What can I say, I was heavily infatuated with River Phoenix back in the day.
    Dogfight is the story of the night, in 1963, before Pvt. Eddie Birdlace and his buddies leave for Vietnam. It's a film about ... read morehow both cruel and compassionate the human heart can be.
    River Phoenix is great, as Birdlace. He was a gifted actor, and he brought a sympathetic understanding to the role. I thought Lili Taylor was very bright, as Rose. She is a beautiful, understated actress. Yet, she managed to give Rose the bumbling, awkward qualities that were pivotal to the plot.
    This movie really knows how to tug at the strings of raw human emotion. Dogfight is genuinely a great film about the relationships we build through out our lives, and the effects they have on us.
  • masteromuppets
    March 22, 2008
    masteromuppets
    Really a surprising find. It was a sweet, and not what I expected at all. River Phoenix was amazing.

View All Dogfight Reviews

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy
July 1, 2011
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Savoca's second film also deals with sexual politics, centering on a type of woman seldom seen in American movies Full Review

Cheryl DeWolfe
July 21, 2004
Cheryl DeWolfe, Apollo Guide

The great casting in this film is evident from the stars to the supporting actors and even to the bit players. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
July 19, 2003
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Creatively deals with insecurity, group pressures, male machismo and loneliness Full Review

Dustin Putman
January 1, 2000
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

A virtually unknown gem, and is one of the sweetest, most touching romances of the decade. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

No review available.

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

September 13, 1991
Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Todd Jorgenson
August 29, 2005
Todd Jorgenson, Denton Record Chronicle (TX)

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • Term used to describe the spacecraft in the dogfight with World War II fighter pilots in the opening scene of "Taken"?  Answer »
  • In Dogfight (1991) the song that plays when Eddie and Rose make love is:   Answer »
  • What 1982 film features a dog-fight scene between two WWII Japanese "Zeros" and two American F-14 jet fighters?  Answer »
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