A dog dies and the owner persuades her daughter's date to bury it in the park. While on his way, he meets a strange cabbie who insists the dog's body can be sold. This is the start of an odyssey through the midtown streets looking for a buyer. Weird characters abound in this bizarre yet funny film.
16 Reviews
A variant on an old, black-comedy recipe
StevePulaski10 June 2014
Cold Dog Soup is a cult-film minus a cult; a film that should have a legion of devoted fans behind it, justifying its quirkiness and affirming its quality - even if in a "so bad, it's good" manner. Instead, the film has fallen so deeply under the radar that it doesn't even register a ping on the comedy or comedy noir scale. It is a strange, understandably forgotten film bearing some of the damnedest characters and string of events I have seen portrayed on film for quite sometime.
The film stars Frank Whaley, Christine Harnos, and Randy Quaid, three actors bearing completely different reputations and acting styles that only further make the film diverse and unique. Whaley stars as Michael, an ambitious young stockbroker who, one day, meets Sarah (Christine Harnos), a young woman with a beautiful aura around her and bright, cherry-red lipstick. Michael can't believe his luck when Sarah asks him over to dinner, where she promises him if all goes well, he'll get to see her "pressure cooker," as she puts it.
When Michael arrives at Sarah's home for dinner, he is alarmed to see her eccentric mother, and Sarah's demanding dog, who begs to be fed anchovy olives. After eating one too many olives, Sarah's dog winds up croaking on-sight, leaving the three with a serious predicament. When Sarah's mom proposes Michael bury the dog in the park, Michael can't say no, so winds up catching a ride from the offbeat and beyond strange taxi driver named Jack Cloud (Randy Quaid), who takes him on a crazy joy ride that involves trying to sell Sarah's dog's corpse to different people.
Let's start where one should when reviewing Cold Dog Soup and that is with Randy Quaid's enigmatic cab driver character. From the first time he sets foot on frame to the final time we see him, Quaid plays one of the most difficult to define people he has ever played on film. He's the kind of character that may or may not represent something bigger or something more philosophical than just a weird, deranged cab driver, but it's hard to tell since the film only occasionally wants to take him seriously. For example, his character of Jack Cloud speaks in Zen-like riddles that you're never supposed to really figure out and are just the kind of thing that tease your brain enough to get the blood flowing. In one scene, Jack asks Michael, "If time is money, and money is the root of all evil, is time the root of all evil?" before following the thought up with, "If time heals all wounds, does money wound all heels? And if time waits for no one, who does the root of all evil wait for?" These thoughtful musings on life provide for at least some offbeat, contemplative drama in the face of a film that feels like its main goal, above everything, was to be an odd, nineties film relic that few would go on to seek out. It's admirable to see an assured and diverse actor like Frank Whaley approaching the material with such conviction and a willingness to be a victim in almost every scene. Because of writer Thomas Pope's style, structuring the film in a style reminiscent of a skit-show or a collection of comedic vignettes, it feels as though Whaley and Quaid are partaking in a seriously involved improvisation session that just gets more bizarre with each turn, and the event organizers are refusing to cease the madness.
That being said, there's part of me that can't dismiss Cold Dog Soup for its asinine nature and its committed performances by two very strong actors. However, there's another part of me that grew very weary at its meager eighty-five minute runtime and found myself exhausted by its haphazardly-constructed events by the middle of the second act. There's an audience that will embrace this film and want to watch it on repeat. There's another audience who will struggle to finish it, or stop it midway through, and never want to think about it again. You can find me where you most often do on this one - in the middle.
Starring: Randy Quaid, Frank Whlaey, and Catherine Harnos. Directed by: Alan Metter.
The film stars Frank Whaley, Christine Harnos, and Randy Quaid, three actors bearing completely different reputations and acting styles that only further make the film diverse and unique. Whaley stars as Michael, an ambitious young stockbroker who, one day, meets Sarah (Christine Harnos), a young woman with a beautiful aura around her and bright, cherry-red lipstick. Michael can't believe his luck when Sarah asks him over to dinner, where she promises him if all goes well, he'll get to see her "pressure cooker," as she puts it.
When Michael arrives at Sarah's home for dinner, he is alarmed to see her eccentric mother, and Sarah's demanding dog, who begs to be fed anchovy olives. After eating one too many olives, Sarah's dog winds up croaking on-sight, leaving the three with a serious predicament. When Sarah's mom proposes Michael bury the dog in the park, Michael can't say no, so winds up catching a ride from the offbeat and beyond strange taxi driver named Jack Cloud (Randy Quaid), who takes him on a crazy joy ride that involves trying to sell Sarah's dog's corpse to different people.
Let's start where one should when reviewing Cold Dog Soup and that is with Randy Quaid's enigmatic cab driver character. From the first time he sets foot on frame to the final time we see him, Quaid plays one of the most difficult to define people he has ever played on film. He's the kind of character that may or may not represent something bigger or something more philosophical than just a weird, deranged cab driver, but it's hard to tell since the film only occasionally wants to take him seriously. For example, his character of Jack Cloud speaks in Zen-like riddles that you're never supposed to really figure out and are just the kind of thing that tease your brain enough to get the blood flowing. In one scene, Jack asks Michael, "If time is money, and money is the root of all evil, is time the root of all evil?" before following the thought up with, "If time heals all wounds, does money wound all heels? And if time waits for no one, who does the root of all evil wait for?" These thoughtful musings on life provide for at least some offbeat, contemplative drama in the face of a film that feels like its main goal, above everything, was to be an odd, nineties film relic that few would go on to seek out. It's admirable to see an assured and diverse actor like Frank Whaley approaching the material with such conviction and a willingness to be a victim in almost every scene. Because of writer Thomas Pope's style, structuring the film in a style reminiscent of a skit-show or a collection of comedic vignettes, it feels as though Whaley and Quaid are partaking in a seriously involved improvisation session that just gets more bizarre with each turn, and the event organizers are refusing to cease the madness.
That being said, there's part of me that can't dismiss Cold Dog Soup for its asinine nature and its committed performances by two very strong actors. However, there's another part of me that grew very weary at its meager eighty-five minute runtime and found myself exhausted by its haphazardly-constructed events by the middle of the second act. There's an audience that will embrace this film and want to watch it on repeat. There's another audience who will struggle to finish it, or stop it midway through, and never want to think about it again. You can find me where you most often do on this one - in the middle.
Starring: Randy Quaid, Frank Whlaey, and Catherine Harnos. Directed by: Alan Metter.
Weird enough to work (Enough SPOILERS to count as SPOILERS)
Crowbot-26 August 2000
Warning: Spoilers
It's sick, it's different, and it's weird enough to watch just for interest of what's going to happen to next. (SPOILER HERE!) Who can resist a movie where a girl's hand get's eaten by a machine, (That's SPOILER 1, HERE'S NUMBER 2) Or a dog that drinks Margaritas, and continually sniffs at Frank Whaley's, well you'll find out. And the performances are pretty good, The two leads Randy Quaid or James Belushi, I always forget who it is (pretty sure it's Quaid), is great as the psycho driver who tries to lighten up poor Mike (Frank Whaley) who plays the chararctor in a great, "It's not my fault, don't look at me" sense. Though the women who played Sarah Hughes I don't think was very good as the sultry woman.
Hot Dog
shell-2629 March 1999
Cold Dog Soup is a somewhat dark and twisting comedy which follows a smart young man, a smarter young woman, a dead dog called Jasper, and a maniac taxi driver through a city at night.
The driver Jack Cloud (Quaid) is our fantastical guide to a warped underworld as he drives us from Chinese restaurants to Voodoo rituals, dead dog in tow.
Definitely worth watching on a damp day. You'll be surprised how valuable a canine cadaver can be.
The driver Jack Cloud (Quaid) is our fantastical guide to a warped underworld as he drives us from Chinese restaurants to Voodoo rituals, dead dog in tow.
Definitely worth watching on a damp day. You'll be surprised how valuable a canine cadaver can be.
Shaggy Dead Dog Story
bcrumpacker29 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Flustered yuppie Frank Whaley tries to dump his lusty new date's dead dog so he can get back to the Sure Thing. His date Christine Harnos is definitely slinky, but it's unclear why she would ever be interested in pasty faced, nerdy Frank. Once I realized that she looks like Ralph Macchio with breasts, the party was over for me. Her name is Greek, and she looks Greek. Hmmm, ex-Beatle and exec producer George Harrison is Greek too. Cowinky-dink? I don't think so.
Randy Quaid is a great third wheel as the philosophizing lumpen proletariat taxi driver who guides the couple and dead dog in a bag through a picaresque series of bizarre scenes and characters. The unjustly neglected Nancy Kwan is hilarious as the restaurant owner who wants to make soup with the deceased's ears.
To recap, horny but decent guy finds Sure Thing, but rejects her on principle in favor of...what? Burying a dead dog in the park, and new deranged buddy Randy Quaid. What a lousy payoff. At least in the original The Sure Thing, when John Cusack rejected a very young Nicolette Sheridan, he got Daphne Zuniga.
Of course, in reality Frank would throw the dog down the trash chute in Christine's luxurious apartment building, then shag her rotten. But the movie would be over in 10 minutes, and we'd miss the grotesquery, and Frank's gradual realization that his principles are worth more than The Sure Thing. Actually, you can have both principles and sex, just not in this particular movie's universe. Suspend disbelief, and it's funny, if a bit predictable, stuff. BC
Randy Quaid is a great third wheel as the philosophizing lumpen proletariat taxi driver who guides the couple and dead dog in a bag through a picaresque series of bizarre scenes and characters. The unjustly neglected Nancy Kwan is hilarious as the restaurant owner who wants to make soup with the deceased's ears.
To recap, horny but decent guy finds Sure Thing, but rejects her on principle in favor of...what? Burying a dead dog in the park, and new deranged buddy Randy Quaid. What a lousy payoff. At least in the original The Sure Thing, when John Cusack rejected a very young Nicolette Sheridan, he got Daphne Zuniga.
Of course, in reality Frank would throw the dog down the trash chute in Christine's luxurious apartment building, then shag her rotten. But the movie would be over in 10 minutes, and we'd miss the grotesquery, and Frank's gradual realization that his principles are worth more than The Sure Thing. Actually, you can have both principles and sex, just not in this particular movie's universe. Suspend disbelief, and it's funny, if a bit predictable, stuff. BC
One of my all-time favorites!
parch@rof.net5 November 2006
This movie I watch whenever it is on a movie channel. It is funny, thought provoking and quirky beyond words. Well acted with Randy Quaid in his best form ever. Traversing a lot of territory in only one night, starting with a simple comedic premise and finding resolution by the complete transformation of a yuppie. Street gangs, furriers, Asian restaurants, sexy propositions all teem up for a comedy that is worth the time. A sleeper on most lists. Netflix doesn't have it but Amazon.com does. It's repeated often on the movie channels. It's one of my favorite movies of all time and I can't believe the lack of comments on this well-crafted homage to Jasper. Check it out!
A B Picture
professormouse24 December 2021
"SAY 'WHAT' ONE MORE TIME !"
I laughed.
A Lot.
B stature is no put down.
There's just something about the main guy though.
Was he ever Norman Bates ?
In the right movie he could be knockout.
Maybe it's just the editing.
The girl init = could be in one of Prince's girl groups in a re-remake = no ??
I laughed.
A Lot.
B stature is no put down.
There's just something about the main guy though.
Was he ever Norman Bates ?
In the right movie he could be knockout.
Maybe it's just the editing.
The girl init = could be in one of Prince's girl groups in a re-remake = no ??
I liked it
cwdale18 March 2004
Although it is sick, different, and just twisted enough to catch peoples attention, I'm mad it's not on DVD. It is one of my favorite movies, probably #6 out of my top ten. My favorite exchanges were between Randy Quaid Frank Whaley like "If money is the root of all evil, then is time the root of all evil? If time stops for no man, who does the root of all evil stop for?" I rated it 9, showing how much I like this movie. It is probably the second funniest movie I've ever seen! I would gladly pay for this on PPV and on DVD and loved it. I just cannot get across to you how much I love this movie...But I'll try because I need to fill two more lines. I would like to own it, so PUT IT ON DVD!!!!
If you liked After Hours....
zzz0515 September 2006
Very much reminiscent of After Hours, but not quite with the background bleakness (which is more apparent if you re-watch After Hours more closely and are less distracted by the zany hijinks).
Similar idea, though; a young male's quest for that which young males quest for leads him to a mystical journey through the City At Night, where Unusual Characters and Weird Scenes teach him something about the reality that lurks behind and under his daily surface routine. Good acting and quality cast put this into the quintessential indy film mold, unable to be pigeonholed into A-movie, B-movie, etc. status but instead going off in it's own direction. As they say, if you like this kind of thing, this is the kind of thing you will like.
Similar idea, though; a young male's quest for that which young males quest for leads him to a mystical journey through the City At Night, where Unusual Characters and Weird Scenes teach him something about the reality that lurks behind and under his daily surface routine. Good acting and quality cast put this into the quintessential indy film mold, unable to be pigeonholed into A-movie, B-movie, etc. status but instead going off in it's own direction. As they say, if you like this kind of thing, this is the kind of thing you will like.
The epitome of an indie film (without the Indie conceit)
tlfarrell14 March 2000
Cold Dog Soup is the epitome of an indie film: adventurous, low (low!) budget, and well-acted. At least, it was the epitome in 1990, before indie became "Indie" and conceited self-congratulatory productions became the norm. The crucial element to the films success is the acting of its principals and supporters; Frank Whalley and Randy Quaid play off each other magnificently, and the various savoury and unsavoury characters who make an appearance offer multi-toned performances with very little screen time to spare. Bottom line: this movie will be enjoyed by those who love great dialogue, great acting, and a twisted sense of humour.
One of the best Indie films of all time,totally defies description
wood-t8 June 2004
Randy Quaid (National Lampoon's Cousin Eddie from 1986's XMas Vacation) steals this absurd, obscure (unless you get IFC) and priceless indie as the out-of-your-nightmare cab driver, Jack Cloud. Frank, the innocent, hooks up with the one-gloved wonder,Christine, for what seems on the surface to be an innocent date. Keep your eyes and ears open as the date falls apart faster than a 2 week floater in the Ohio River! Christine's dog, Jasper, chokes on an anchovy-stuffed olive and plays the death scene to the hilt. Then the fun begins! Madame Chang (Nancy Kwan) eloquently clues us in to the meaning of the movie title; but as all the performances defy description, just watch it and enjoy the ride!
Quaid's "Time Flies" monologue is forever quotable - The scripting is beautiful, location shots just too much fun - well, you can watch this again and again and never catch all the detail. Kudos to Alan Metter, Thomas Pope and the originator - Stephen Dobyns for a fab book from which to begin.
Quaid's "Time Flies" monologue is forever quotable - The scripting is beautiful, location shots just too much fun - well, you can watch this again and again and never catch all the detail. Kudos to Alan Metter, Thomas Pope and the originator - Stephen Dobyns for a fab book from which to begin.
Incredible Gem and Sleeper--The low rating is a hit job.
reviewerinoimdbino13 November 2007
I was so incredibly lucky years ago when I was home one weekday morning and saw this on the USA channel. The low rating is definitely a hit job. (Hundreds of people type in low scores for an obscure, little-seen film that other people consider superb, delightful, refreshing?) As the hero's quest goes on, there may have been some longeurs, but the wild and wacky original humor of this movie makes this a small classic.
Everyone with taste and insight loves Frank Whaley and he is at his Frank Whaley-ist here: vulnerable and funny, tender and oppressed, buffeted by forces he cannot control.
The characterization of the girlfriend is bizarre, to say the least--for reasons you'll have to watch the film to see. And the film also reminds us that the late Sheree North was a delightful comedienne, not just a onetime starlet.
This is perhaps the best, most worthwhile comedy that almost nobody has ever seen. If MTV can show a crappy movie like "Rolling Kansas" over and over and over, why can't they show this?
Everyone with taste and insight loves Frank Whaley and he is at his Frank Whaley-ist here: vulnerable and funny, tender and oppressed, buffeted by forces he cannot control.
The characterization of the girlfriend is bizarre, to say the least--for reasons you'll have to watch the film to see. And the film also reminds us that the late Sheree North was a delightful comedienne, not just a onetime starlet.
This is perhaps the best, most worthwhile comedy that almost nobody has ever seen. If MTV can show a crappy movie like "Rolling Kansas" over and over and over, why can't they show this?
Wonderful Little Gem... Too bad no one saw it.
MetalCup20 July 2013
I saw this movie in the nineties when it came out. I was in my early twenties and I liked it instantly. Engaging and with a deceptively simple plot. Funny and dramatic.
The movie takes place over one night of hilarious adventure. The main character tries to dispose of his girlfriend's dead dog by burying it, but a deranged (?) taxi driver (Played to perfection by Randy Quaid) convinces him that there are other ways one can benefit from the body of a dead dog, so it starts.
I loved this movie and still do. It has funny dialogue and actions but has a lot of symbolic meanings that I personally connected with. The relationship between the hero and his girlfriend and the struggle we see the guy goes through (given his strong morals and sense of decency) either with his girlfriend or the taxi driver. The taxi driver represent several things in his life but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it.
If you can find it. See it.
Cheers.
The movie takes place over one night of hilarious adventure. The main character tries to dispose of his girlfriend's dead dog by burying it, but a deranged (?) taxi driver (Played to perfection by Randy Quaid) convinces him that there are other ways one can benefit from the body of a dead dog, so it starts.
I loved this movie and still do. It has funny dialogue and actions but has a lot of symbolic meanings that I personally connected with. The relationship between the hero and his girlfriend and the struggle we see the guy goes through (given his strong morals and sense of decency) either with his girlfriend or the taxi driver. The taxi driver represent several things in his life but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it.
If you can find it. See it.
Cheers.
"Because you're lying to yourself"
vonnoosh28 October 2021
This movie is almost exactly 30 years ahead of its time. It is a brilliant allegory for these warped times where people think reality and truth are subjective but they're actually only lying to themselves and are probably perpetually depressed, even borderline psychotic in defense of their lies.
This movie on the surface is about a wannabe young yuppie named Michael on a first date being tasked to bury his wouldbe girlfriend's dead dog that died suddenly during their dinner. Randy Quaid plays the memorable Jack Cloud who appears like something unwelcome in a nightmare telling him he could sell that dog and knows where to go. That sets the stage for the rest of the night and the wannabe yuppie learns a little lesson about life and himself.
I first saw this movie in 2000 back when IFC was commercial free and NEVER thought of it then as I do now with people thinking it is virtuous to live their lies while demanding all people willing to be intimidated to also live their fiction like its truth, but come on people, who wants to buy your dead dog????
This movie on the surface is about a wannabe young yuppie named Michael on a first date being tasked to bury his wouldbe girlfriend's dead dog that died suddenly during their dinner. Randy Quaid plays the memorable Jack Cloud who appears like something unwelcome in a nightmare telling him he could sell that dog and knows where to go. That sets the stage for the rest of the night and the wannabe yuppie learns a little lesson about life and himself.
I first saw this movie in 2000 back when IFC was commercial free and NEVER thought of it then as I do now with people thinking it is virtuous to live their lies while demanding all people willing to be intimidated to also live their fiction like its truth, but come on people, who wants to buy your dead dog????
The lawsuit prompted by "Cold Dog Soup" receipts
yocsmotel13 March 2014
It's interesting that some people here speculated that the ratings on this movie were the subject of a "hit job," because the history of the movie is tragic. Here's how it was explained in BILLBOARD in 2001:
A judge threw out George Harrison's bid to keep his former business manager and partner Denis O' Brien from declaring bankruptcy. Harrison had just had lung cancer surgery and his lawyer told a judge in St. Louis he was too ill to testify. The judge didn't buy it. Of course, Harrison later died from lung cancer, but at the time, the judge said that his failure to appear was "obviously willful."
Harrison had already won an 11 million dollar judgment against O'Brien. Of course, declaring bankruptcy is a common thing - to avoid paying such judgments.
Losses on the film "Cold Dog Soup" prompted Harrison to sue O'Brien.
A judge threw out George Harrison's bid to keep his former business manager and partner Denis O' Brien from declaring bankruptcy. Harrison had just had lung cancer surgery and his lawyer told a judge in St. Louis he was too ill to testify. The judge didn't buy it. Of course, Harrison later died from lung cancer, but at the time, the judge said that his failure to appear was "obviously willful."
Harrison had already won an 11 million dollar judgment against O'Brien. Of course, declaring bankruptcy is a common thing - to avoid paying such judgments.
Losses on the film "Cold Dog Soup" prompted Harrison to sue O'Brien.
If you loved "After Hours", you'll love this one
elektroskansen13 March 2023
This is one of my favorite movies ever. I can only describe it as a mixture of "After Hours", "Miracle Mile" and a bit of "Adventures in Babysitting" - you know, all these movies that begin with some casual trip to the city, but end up an odyssey of weirdos and strange situations.
It's not as bleak as "Miracle Mile" and not as surreal as "After Hours", it's more of a dark comedy really, with Randy Qaid acting as a guide through the city's underbelly.
It reminds me of my youth, when a simple trip to the liquor store in a middle of a party could have lead to meeting strange weirdos and ending up on a totally different party in another part of the town.
It's not as bleak as "Miracle Mile" and not as surreal as "After Hours", it's more of a dark comedy really, with Randy Qaid acting as a guide through the city's underbelly.
It reminds me of my youth, when a simple trip to the liquor store in a middle of a party could have lead to meeting strange weirdos and ending up on a totally different party in another part of the town.
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