Must Love Dogs

Must Love Dogs
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gary David Goldberg
Produced by	Polly Cohen Brad Hall Ronald G Smith
Written by	Claire Cook Gary David Goldberg
Starring	Diane Lane John Cusack Elizabeth Perkins Christopher Plummer Ali Hillis Dermot Mulroney Colin Egglesfield Jordana Spiro
Music by	Craig Armstrong Susie Suh Vinnie Zummo
Cinematography	John Bailey
Edited by	Roger Bondelli Eric A. Sears
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date	July 29, 2005
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$30 million
Box office	$58,405,313

Soundtrack
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

Must Love Dogs is a 2005 American romantic comedy film based on Claire Cook's 2002 novel of the same name. Starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, it is the second and final film directed and written by Gary David Goldberg and was produced on a budget of $30 million. The film focuses on a woman's struggle with divorce and meeting new people afterward.

Production started on October 12, 2004 with a final release date of July 29, 2005. Critics opinions were mostly negative but indicated that the actors were not to blame. Must Love Dogs took the fifth spot on its opening weekend and has grossed more than $58 million worldwide. The film was released on VHS and DVD on December 20, 2005.

Sarah Nolan, an attractive 40-year-old divorced preschool teacher, is urged by her family to date more. Although they show her photos of men they want to set her up with, Sarah does not seem interested in pursuing any relationships. Jake Anderson, another recent divorcee, finds himself in a similar position; his lawyer, Charlie, wants to set him up with a woman named Sherry. However, Jake would rather focus on creating his handcrafted boats.

Sarah's sister Carol visits and they discuss Bob Connor, a parent from school. Sarah is attracted to him but does not want anything complicated. Carol reveals she set up an ad for Sarah on an online dating site, perfectmatch.com, using a picture from Sarah's high school graduation. The description declares she is voluptuous and that her dates "must love dogs" (Sarah is currently caring for her brother Michael's Newfoundland dog, "Mother Teresa", while he goes through his own marital problems). Sarah proceeds to suffer through several disastrous dates with men who cannot stop crying, are criminal, or like girls who are barely legal.

Jake is confronted by Sherry at an art gallery; she is curious why he did not call her, but again Jake does not seem interested. Charlie then hands him a printout of Sarah's dating profile and tells Jake he has a date with her the next day at a dog park. The date proves to be awkward: Jake shows up with a borrowed terrier and offends Sarah when he begins to analyze her profile. Even worse, he reveals that the dog is not really his. When she accuses him of being deceptive he points out that the requirement was "Must love dogs," not "Must own a dog." Sarah leaves abruptly but agrees to see him again.