Must Love Dogs

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Must Love Dogs

PG-13

2005

1h 38m

Romance

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

37%

Tomatometer

149 Reviews

50%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Sarah (Diane Lane), is 40 and recently divorced. Believing Sarah needs to date more, her sister, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), creates an online dating profile for her. Simultaneously, Jake (John Cusack) reluctantly decides to try Internet dating. Sarah and Jake meet, and though both agree they are not interested in a serious relationship, their chemistry is undeniable. But, when Bob (Dermot Mulroney) suddenly shows interest in Sarah, her future with Charlie becomes unclear.

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Critics Consensus

Despite good work from its likable leads, the romantic comedy Must Love Dogs is too predictable.

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Neil Smith

BBC.com

Sep 24, 2005

2/5

Cusack in particular seems to have embellished his role with an assortment of verbal quirks that suggest he wasn't too happy with what was on the page.

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Emma Cochrane

Empire Magazine

Sep 16, 2005

2/5

If only the whole script had been as sharp as some of Cusack's caustic one-liners, then this might have appealed to more than just the Chardonnay brigade.

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Richard Roeper

Ebert & Roeper

Aug 1, 2005

John Cusack and Diane Lane need to put out personal ads saying, 'Must have screenplay.'

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Mar 29, 2023

3/5

…Must Love Dogs is just a vanilla time-passer, a stop-gap time-waster when it so dearly wants to be The One…

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 17, 2020

3.0/4.0

The perfect film for you to snuggle up with the one you love.

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Micheal Compton

Bowling Green Daily News

Nov 19, 2019

Must Love Dogs is flooded with characters so quirky, it's like the film takes place in an alternate universe.

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Huntin P

@PaxVobiscum80 Sep 14, 2026

Comfort viewing, I'd call it. A by-the-numbers romcom, with pleasant faces, established actors taking the slow lane. Love can blossom at any age, even middle. Settle in with some ice cream, cocoa, maybe put on a onesie, some novelty slippers, snuggle up to your other half, and just let your brain go zzzz! Any movie with Christopher Plummer in it has got to be worth something.

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James B

@MLDjames Jun 18, 2026

I love this movie and could care less how predictable it might be. Diane Lane is such a sweetheart. I’ve always been a romantic at heart.

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Liesl L.

@liesll Jun 3, 2026

This is a classic. Love the comedy. Love the performances. I am a film producer and I rate this. I watched it when it first came out and again now. And it’s really held up.

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David E

@RT07896430 Nov 5, 2025

Syrupy Schmaltz. Not even very good acting really. The Screenplay was completely predictable. They weren't even dog owners haha, but I guess they do love them. I have no idea what loving dogs has to do with the plot, except the dogs are of course nice animals. So are the actors, all of them, Very very nice, but conflicted for reasons only provided by the backstory.

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Jennie B

@RT04477242 Sep 16, 2023

It is a great romantic comedy with excellent cast. I don't know why it is dismissed as "too predictable"! What do you want from a romantic comedy? It's worth a watch.

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Apr 3, 2022

The actors in this were perfect. One of my top 10 favorite romcoms

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Gary David Goldberg

Director

Diane Lane

Sarah

John Cusack

John Anderson

Elizabeth Perkins

Carol

Dermot Mulroney

Bob Connor

Stockard Channing

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Synopsis

Sarah (Diane Lane), is 40 and recently divorced. Believing Sarah needs to date more, her sister, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), creates an online dating profile for her. Simultaneously, Jake (John Cusack) reluctantly decides to try Internet dating. Sarah and Jake meet, and though both agree they are not interested in a serious relationship, their chemistry is undeniable. But, when Bob (Dermot Mulroney) suddenly shows interest in Sarah, her future with Charlie becomes unclear.

Director: Gary David Goldberg
Producer: Gary David Goldberg, Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Screenwriter: Clairre Cook, Gary David Goldberg
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content)
Genre: Romance, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 29, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 7, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.9M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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