Must Love Dogs
2005 · 98 min · Director: Gary David Goldberg
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Preschool teacher Sarah Nolan (Diane Lane), divorced for eight months, is still grieving the end of her marriage. Although she didn't see it as being perfect, she probably would have stuck it out as what she saw as the "for better or worse" obligation of the wedding vows, that is if her ex-husband, Kevin, didn't end it for what ended up being leaving her for a younger woman. She is urged by her over-supportive family, comprised of her many siblings, their partners, and her widowed father, to get back into the dating scene, something she has been reluctant to do in not feeling ready. As such, her most proactive sister in the matter, Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), sets her up on an Internet dating site. Within her less than prepared state, Sarah does go along with meeting men by the means offered to her. Beyond especially her female siblings, Sarah is given unique perspectives on the whole issue of dating and commitment by her father, Bill (Christopher Plummer), who is exploring dating after losing who was the love of his life in Sarah's mother, thrice divorced Dolly (Stockard Channing), one of Bill's conquests, who he meets on-line, and Sarah's gay teaching colleague, Leo (Brad William Henke), who she sees as being in the most committed loving relationship with his partner Eric (Victor Webster) of anyone she knows. Of the men she meets, Sarah makes what she believes is a connection with two, albeit awkward in both cases. One is Bob Connor (Dermot Mulroney), the divorced father of one of her students, her hesitance in dating him only because of crossing the professional/personal line. The other is custom wooden boat builder Jake Anderson (John Cusack), who too was pushed into trying on-line dating by his best friend/divorce lawyer Charlie (Ben Shenkman), who wants Jake solely to get some action despite Jake wanting his love life to be more like Lara and Yuri in Doctor Zhivago (1965). Much of what happens between Sarah and the two men is based on what stage they are in post-divorce dating life, but is also dependent on how much Sarah is willing to take a chance on each, which may also include her and the respective man just not meshing at a given point in time, and her making a wrong decision in the process based on what she sees as the prospects.
Emotional fingerprint
Must Love Dogs (2005) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Love 30%, Humor 25%, Nostalgia 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Love, Humor, Nostalgia. Genres: Comedy, Romance. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Love, Humor and Nostalgia. Its IMDb rating of 6.0/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 61/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Humor
- Hope
- Love
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Humor | Hope | Love |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Sadness | 35 % | 32 % | 22 % | 7 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Humor | 36 % | 35 % | 23 % | 10 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Humor | 43 % | 43 % | 20 % | 11 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Humor | 49 % | 49 % | 18 % | 8 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Humor | 48 % | 48 % | 19 % | 8 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Humor | 44 % | 44 % | 21 % | 14 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Humor | 44 % | 44 % | 21 % | 19 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Humor | 48 % | 43 % | 19 % | 20 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Sadness | 53 % | 43 % | 18 % | 21 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Humor | 54 % | 48 % | 21 % | 28 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Love | 46 % | 43 % | 26 % | 30 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 56′ | Humor | 40 % | 36 % | 26 % | 26 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 61′ | Humor | 40 % | 35 % | 23 % | 25 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 66′ | Tension | 39 % | 31 % | 15 % | 19 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Humor | 41 % | 30 % | 10 % | 14 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 76′ | Sadness | 49 % | 31 % | 11 % | 18 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 81′ | Sadness | 51 % | 34 % | 15 % | 21 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 86′ | Sadness | 53 % | 32 % | 29 % | 30 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 91′ | Hope | 59 % | 34 % | 46 % | 45 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Love | 62 % | 38 % | 50 % | 53 % |
Cinderella
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Details
- Directed by
- Gary David Goldberg
- Written by
- Gary David Goldberg, Claire Cook
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2005
- Runtime
- 98 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Love
- Data updated
Where to watch
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