Dog Wedding Movie: A Pleasant Paw-Propsal

Sitting in the front row for the New York City premiere of The Dog Wedding movie, nothing appeared out of the norm: These are my people, I mused. These people know that dogs are family, they bring them to posh cinematic happenings, and once they’ve walked the red pink carpet with their coutured canines, they settle into theater seats. Displaying your affection (and addiction) to canines is the new norm, and thank DOG for that!

Jason Hurwitz gets it. Matthew Bloom knows it. And Rosalie Thomass has recently discovered it. The Dog Wedding movie is making its rounds on a city-by-city tour before its release to the general public on, yep, you guessed it: Valentine’s Day 2016.

We were front and center for the grand affair as one of the fifty dogs named winners in the associated photo contest. Our very own Cocker Spaniel, Dexter the Wigglebutt Warrior, mascot of Fidose of Reality, looked and sniffed on as his image graced the big screen.

A Pickle, A Wrestler, and Bulldogs

This isn’t your bark-out-loud rom-com for dog lovers that the movie’s trailer and associated promotional posters want you to believe it is. Sure, there are dogs in it, as the vehicles that unite a love story of a female German pickle entrepreneur and a hulky muscleman who body slams and pile drives his way into her heart. A modern day romance with a few dogs as catalysts for Cupid’s arrow.

The movie stars Matthew Bloom as wrestler Matthew “The Manimal” Pierce. The German businesswoman, Ulrika Schmidt, played by German actress Rosalie Thomass, is sent to the states by her domineering father to shut down a family-owned pickle factory.

In my interview with Hurwitz prior to seeing movie, my expectations were geared more for canine giggles and puns, but the flick is far more than that.

Surprising, whimsical, hallucinatory, belly laugh inducing, will they or won’t they: Emotions and affectations viewers can expect to encounter during this 90+ minute thrill ride.

“It was quirky and different and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen to the main characters,” my spouse told me afterwards.

Exactly. So very much that. Exactly.

I Almost Threw Up

Not my words, but of pro wrestler and lead actor in the movie, Matthew Bloom, in this Q&A excerpt below. Thomass, a German-born actress, is lovely, carries herself with supermodel poise and Grace Kelly elegance, but she is surprisingly humorous and versatile in the role. You’ll never look at a pickle or a glass of tea the same way. Let’s leave it there.

Bloom, a professional wrestler by trade, is warm, approachable, and humbled by the entire experience.

“The first scene that I shot with Rosalie was in the park….and I thought this was going to be a piece of cake, I’ve done readings with all these guys,” Bloom said in the Q&A after the movie. “James (the producer) didn’t want me to do any acting classes or anything…he just wanted me to go up there and do it. So I thought ‘this will be great.’ And then all of a sudden, ACTION, and I forgot everything. I didn’t know what camera to look at. I forgot all my lines.”

Rosalie calmed him down a bit and he did the first scene. “I almost threw up watching the scene back,” he laughs.

Trendsetting

Looking around the theater, dog lovers, supporters, and fans of canines in general, I wondered how Hurwitz, dad to a rescue Puggle, developed the idea for a dog wedding movie. His reply is priceless and sums the movie’s tone and premise up nicely: We all connect with our dogs and are just maybe our best selves around our dogs.

Raise a paw and sparkling bowl of water if you agree!

Stars That Sparkle…and Shine

The bulldogs are adorable, and as a gal who trademarked “My Heart Beats Dog®,” I humbly bow my head in admitting the stand-out stars are Ms. Thomass and Mr. Bloom.

Thomass is the star of the German box office hit “One Hot Number” and “Taxi,” which she headlines with Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”).

Bloom is best known for his 15-year career with WWE (World Wresting Entertainment) and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Who Should See the Movie

a) Anyone who loves dogs;

b) Anyone who likes an off-the-beaten-path plotline that makes draws you in without warning and keeps you there;

c) Wrestling fans;

d) Pickle peeps;

e) Risk takers looking for a fun date night movie.

Where and When to See It

As the movie makes it way cross country with limited engagements, watch for its Valentine’s Day release in the states. It is a family affair, holds a PG-13 rating, and both a bark out loud event geared at dog and risk-taking rom-com lovers of the highest order.

See you at the dog park! (it’ll make sense after you see the movie)

Would you like to see The Dog Wedding movie when it releases?