RyothChatty ridiculous rating

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

nabeehah Truth be told, when i first came across this movie, River Phoenix was already a name i knew. His legacy, continuing. I had loved his performance in the movie 'stand by me' and i continued to search for his best work. What I didn't expect? The brilliance of Lili Taylor, whose work; i had never seen. Birdlace is quite different from the other personalities played by Phoenix, yet- it reminds me that we are all human; we are all trying to fit in. And this movie definitely broke the stereotypes, especially with Taylor's portrayal of Rose. Rose, who is probably somewhat invisible, has something that normal shy girls in movies don't : spunk. She bruises birdlace for his asshole manners, swears while ordering food to prove a point, does not care about what other people think and yet, is the most compassionate character i have ever seen. She did not need to leave her room after getting Birdlace's note to come outside, but she did; because she is the type of person who can give us the second chances we need- heck maybe even a third and fourth. I loved how the chemistry grew. How Eddie saw something in this girl who was willing to give him a chance when he didn't deserve it. Who Rose saw something in a boy who only knew how to be rude. But my favorite moment? When Eddie returns after all that time, and hugs Rose with vigour, and a look which conveys a complete mental breakdown. I've read other reviews. I know how people hate the way it ended. But I don't see that. I see a boy who could've died. Who could've died, knowing that he never wrote to the girl called Rose. This is his wake up call. Some things are worth fighting for. Thanks, dogfight. I salute you. I salute you too, Lili Taylor and River Phoenix.

vettmann99 I was unaware that River Phoenix was the main character in this film, my being much older than most of his fans. He gives a very creditable performance of what it was to be a young, somewhat immature Marine about to ship out into the unknown. I know quite a bit about young Marines on liberty as I was an Armed Forces Police (MP) stationed in Okinawa during 1968-70 outside of and patrolling Kin Village and Henoko among other towns..The period clothing is right on the mark. The scene in the fancy restaurant where the maître d mentions that a "windbreaker is not a jacket" was great as most of the off duty Marines wore windbreakers. It is a true love story about two young people finding a budding relationship on the cusp of their adult lives during this time of turmoil. What did they have in common just the fact that they were young and he's a man (boy) and she's a woman (girl) and let nature take care of the rest?The story time line was way off. There were only very, very few Marines in Vietnam in 1963 as advisors if any and they would have been older, more experienced Marines. Thee Marines arrived in Vietnam in March of 1965 to protect Da Nang air base and it wasn't for some time until they were given the go ahead to patrol out side of there AO and operation Starlight where the heavy fighting began. That the younger Marines like the four bee's would have been in country. Also our hero arrived back home in 1966 ??? He would have been over seas for three years??? The story line should have been from 1965-1966 but it appears that the screen writers wanted to put in the JFK assignation into the story at the cost of historical creditability.

sirromttam Interesting story focusing on hot-tempered, booze-loving, foul-mouthed Eddie Birdlace (brilliantly played by river phoenix)and his quest for an ugly-duckling to take with him to a dogfight. birdlace and his three friends each put in money for a bet, the one who takes the ugliest date to the dogfight wins the pot of money. Just before the dogfight begins, birdlace begins to have feelings for his date and as the movie progresses he falls deeper and deeper in love with her. Rose, his date to the dogfight (brilliantly played by Lili Taylor)also begins to fall in love with Eddie. There is romance, comedy, drama, swearing and lots more. This brilliantly acted and affectionate movie is well-worth watching and will probably have some in tears at the end. Co-stars include Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark and Mitchell Whitfield. This film definitely won my approval, a well acted movie which is well cast down to the small roles. I give it a strong 9 out of 10.

Philip Van der Veken When I heard the title "Dogfight" and knew that it had something to do with the war in Vietnam, I could never think that it would be this kind of movie. Normally that word is used to describe the battle between two fighter pilots, so I was more or less thinking in that way (although I know all too well that the Vietnamese didn't have a fighter jet). But it wasn't, this was a romantic drama.I could never imagine that it would be a movie about four friends who play a cruel game, which they call 'Dogfight', with some unsuspecting women. On the night before they are shipped to Vietnam in 1963, they will seek a woman to go to a party with and the one who finds the ugliest, wins a prize. Eddie finds Rose, a nice girl who works in her mother's coffee shop and who likes folk music. She's happy to accompany him, but when she sees through the game, she thoroughly hates him. But Eddie has already started to like her and feels bad about what he has done to her. He follows her home and will do everything possible to win back her heart...If you are hoping for some gun fights or big explosions, than this movie will be a big disappointment. This is nothing more or less than a romantic drama with the Vietnam war (far away) in the background. Does that mean it is no good? Certainly not. River Phoenix, Richard Panebianco, Anthony Clark and Mitchell Whitfield did a nice job portraying the four friends and Lili Taylor was nice as Rose. I would even say that it is there performances that save this movie, because the story on itself, even though not bad, isn't exactly the most original one ever. But it's worth watching and it's a relief to see that there are still directors in Hollywood who can do better than to put some cheap action in a movie to make it more 'interesting'. Overall I liked this movie and that's why I give it a 7/10.