Nestor Carbonell is superb as Jack in Bobby Roth’s newest film, “Jack the Dog.” Jack is just your typical guy who is well-built, has sex with numerous women and constantly photographs models…basically your average man with whom all men can relate. He is so attractive, in fact, that his mother kisses him a little too affectionately and his father pretends to be his brother.
Well, before you can say “hot model party” Jack is married and the father of a young son. To this point the film is really not very interesting, except for the great nudity, but here is when the script really begins to show its heartfelt emotion and where Jack actually becomes human.
After a few years of marriage (once Jack realizes that he should be banging models again) he gets separated and is back to his “dog-like” ways. He later comes to terms with his womanizing and, after a tough divorce, actually seeks custody of the child. You see, his ex-wife has run off to Europe to marry a creepy Frenchman and after Anthony Lapaglia (once again, as an attorney) settles the divorce, Jack decides to clean up his life, this time for real.
Yes, the story is old and has been made dozens of times in the past, but what makes “Jack the Dog” such a special film is the honesty with which Carbonell’s Jack is dealt to the audience. He is a fresh face who does in fact learn from his past mistakes and truly wants to make amends for them.
“Jack the Dog” is a very well-made digital film, with incredibly rich characters and a story that is not only believable but one of the most sincere tales in quite some time. This film really does prove that if the subject matter is competently written and well acted (which is no easy task), it does not matter what format it represents, be it digital, beta or film.
