Slow-motion footage of a grinning child hugging a puppy triggers the same Pavlovian response in all but the most soul-deadened viewers. Except in the new trailer for Wiener-Dog, where it’s followed by a title card reading, “From Todd Solondz,” in which case all those warm feelings instantly curdle into existential dread. Bad news for the kid, bad news for the dog, bad news for all the other characters, but maybe good news for the audience, presuming they know what they’re getting into. It’s hardly the first time Solondz has gone for the bait and switch: His second film was called Happiness, after all. But in the Happiness trailer, Good Machine had the decency to immediately describe the film as “savage.” Plus there isn’t a single frame of footage in the entire film that isn’t horrifying, despite Michael Stipe’s bouncy theme song; you know what to expect. The Wiener-Dog trailer, on the other hand, breaks new ground in trolling audiences, from tagline to score to font choice. Everything suggests a happy film about a happy dog.
It’s not impossible the Solondz has made the film promised by the IMDb summary: “Chronicles the life of a dog as it travels around the country, spreading comfort and joy.” David Lynch made The Straight Story, after all. But let’s agree that it’s extremely unlikely, and the few bits of dialogue we see—Ellen Burstyn naming the dog “Cancer,” Julie Delpy telling a child about nature, red in tooth and claw—suggest that Wiener-Dog will be as blackhearted as Solondz’s other work. (Reviews out of Sundance confirm this.) For some people, that means buying tickets in advance; for others, waiting to consult with DoesTheDogDie.com. One thing’s for sure: That dog should fire its agent.
