One of the least appreciated films of 2005 is Must Love Dogs, an upbeat romantic comedy about two recent divorcees. Directed and adapted to screen by Gary David Goldberg, veteran TV writer for such shows as MASH and Family Ties, the film offers a number of laughs and very little in the way of strained or forced moments. As usual, John Cusacks character appears on the big screen as an amicable and enigmatic personality. Cusack and Diane Lane make for a good onscreen pairing, but the script is somewhat lacking in its ability to deliver. Much like Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in Youve Got Mail, the concept and the couple are intriguing, but the unmet high expectations leave much to be desired
Must Love Dogs follows the life of Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane), a recently divorced preschool teacher attempting to move on with her life. Sarahs sister Carol (Elizabeth Perkins) is constantly nagging her to get out and meet Mr. Right, but her prodding does nothing to animate the borderline depressed Sarah. Nevertheless, Carols well-intentioned act of signing her sister onto PerfectMatch.com provides a handful of prospective leads. One of them is a recently divorced woodworking artist named...