Sleeping Dogs Lie, originally titled Stay, is a romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Bob Goldthwait. Amy has it all: a handsome fiancé who adores her, parents who call her their “diamond girl” and a happy, bright future that lies ahead. There is one problem though, she had an embarrassing sexual encounter she has kept secret since high school and it haunts her. She has to make the difficult choice whether or not to disclose this to her fiancé, seeing as he wants their relationship to be built on absolute honesty. When she and John returns home so that he can ask her father for her hand in marriage, Amy’s eccentric parents, her junkie brother and her dark secret is a recipe for disaster.
This film is quite off-beat and quirky. The film really succeeds in capturing how uncomfortable it can be to meet one’s parents-in-law for the first time with great wit and more integrity than Meet the Parents, which is of course, rather a full-on slapstick. And it touches on some real human truths, which makes one ponder what unconditional love really means. People often say they love someone unconditionally, but do they really have the foresight to know what that really entails? No matter how hard one wants to deny it, it is true that certain taboos in society are, if not unforgivable, unforgettable.
SPOILER WARNING: Amy is represented as such a nice girl with so many endearing qualities, that one resents John for not being able to forgive or rather forget that she performed oral sex on a dog. It was after all a foolish thing fuelled by teenage curiosity. And who does not have any dark secret in their past? But the truth is, no matter how much the viewer wants to, he/she cannot get the idea of performing oral sex on a dog out of one’s mind. And even though one wants to deny it, it is a hurdle one just cannot get past. It makes one feel guilty, and that makes us as much as a hypocrite as John. He is a hypocrite in that he finds the idea of women making love sexy and a turn-on even though it is unorthodox for most heterosexuals, but then condemns Amy for the unorthodox sexual act she performed in high school. But really, I have to admit, bestiality is gross and a line one cannot cross, and if that makes me a hypocrite, so be it. Yet, I understand what the film is trying to say. And even though I am a crusader for absolute honesty in a relationship, this film does make one think that maybe some sleeping dogs are better left undisturbed.
Amy made the right choice in not telling her father about her mother’s sexual encounters before him. It would only have destroyed so many years filled with fond memories and trust. On the other hand, if Amy would never have told John about her dark secret she would never have realised what a prick he really is. I believe that Ed loves her enough for her to be totally honest with him. But one never knows how someone might react, and therefore, it might be better that she decides not to tell him. Some things are better left unsaid, and some things better left unknown, even though I do not propagate dishonesty at all. SPOILERS END HERE.
The film builds up great momentum, but wanes near the end. There is too much comedy in the first half, and too much drama in the second half, and thus appears quite unbalanced in the end. And at times the film feels like an unlikely mixture of Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Piano Teacher. But it is quite enjoyable and entertaining and a bit more daring than most romantic comedy-dramas and thus worth the watch.
Genre: Comedy-Drama /Romance
Running time: 87 min
Country: USA
Director: Bob Goldthwait
Writing credits: Bob Goldthwait
Producers: Martin Pasetta
Michael Malone
Sarah de Sa Rego
Cinematographer: Ian S. Takahashi
Editor: Jason Stewart
Music: Gerald Brunskill
Distributed by: Roadside Attractions
Samuel Goldwyn Films
LLC
Main Cast:
Amy – Melinda Page Hamilton
John – Bryce Johnson
Dad – Geoff Pierson
Mom – Bonita Friedericy
Dougie – Jack Plotnick
Ed – Colby French
Randy – Brian Posehn
