Robert J. Maxwell I'm not sure but these regionally restricted Southern stories seem to divide themselves into two types. In the first type, we get a series of character sketches, anecdotes without much narrative glue to hold them together. Beth Henley's stories come to mind, and slightly melancholy tales like "The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter." In the other category fall stories like "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "Streetcar Named Desire", dramas in which events unfold apparently in accordance with some greater cosmic plan."Houndog" has its feet firmly planted in Type Number One. We are witness to Dakota Fanning's tragedies and triumphs as the bony but spirited preadolescent grows up in rural Southern poverty. What sustains her through loss, betrayal, and rape is her love for the music of Elvis Presley -- "Houndog" in particular.Southerners, like New York Jews, may be among our best story tellers. Both groups are still somewhat marginal, though much less so, and have a sharp eye for small characterological details. And they have a way with words.When writers come up with a tale like "Houndog" it's sometimes possible to feel that you're watching, not so much a movie with a plot, but a cinematic tribal study. You get to know what they eat and how they prepare it, what they wear, what's in their back yards, what they consider normal and what's slightly bizarro. You see the houses they live in, mostly dilapidated shacks. You see the muddy but refreshing swimming hole. And in this film you get to see a lot of the snakes they have to contend with. (I think the snakes may "stand for" something but I don't know exactly what.) The snake before the opening credits is probably a rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata). The one that Fanning picks up by the cornfield looks like a southern hognose snake (Heterodon simus) but I wouldn't bet the turnip patch on it. At one point, the stereotypical avuncular black man skins a rattler preparatory to eating it but the skin he hangs up to dry looks like that of a southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix).Sorry about all the snake stuff but they figure prominently in the movie and I found my mind dwelling on them during some of the story's longueurs.Dakota Fanning is quite a skilled little actress. She's got the character of the tomboyish kid down pat. And despite her little-girl figure she's careless about modesty, always running around in a loose dress, recklessly but innocently showing the crotch of her underpants to a pimply older adolescent, who finally violates her.Piper Laurie is good too. She's a lumpy, slow-moving, grandmother here, overwhelmed by her own piety. I wonder if she found it ironic that she once played Elvis Presley's girl friend in a 1950s movie.David Morse, as Fanning's daddy, is saddled with a role no one should have to play -- a self-indulgent slob who shacks up with women he brings home. Well, he pays for his sins. Of course, we ALL pay for our sins but his premium is especially colorful. He's out in the field on his tractor during a thunderstorm. The machine is struck by lightning and Morse is lifted bodily out of the seat, twirled around in the air like a doll being flung, and turned into a good-natured zombie with the intelligence quotient of a long-leaf pine tree. He wanders around naked while the bad guys in the pool room jab him in the belly with their cue sticks and whack his toes. At the end, he gets bit by a rattler too. I'm telling you, the guy pays for his sins.The fact is, though, that none of the acting falls short of being really good. But, alas, the script can't avoid its clichés. That black guy who gives such good advice and knows how to treat puncture wound and venomous snake bites. He even has a hypodermic syringe and, apparently, some anti-venom on hand. The victim he treats recovers far too quickly. At some point her pretty leg would look like a Smithfield ham. And the scene in which Fanning, after her rape and a period of illness and mutism, rediscovers her strength through singing "Houndog" at the black guy's urging, reaching "deep into yo' self" and singing it now not as an imitation of Elvis but in her own style. Okay, we get the message, but the camera lingers too long on Fanning's suffering features. At this point, the director rushes in from off screen holding a cue card that reads: "Cry." There are only two "good people" in the movie: Uncle Tom and a compassionate woman we hardly get to know. It's getting a little tiresome seeing young girls beaten down by men and religion without ever being defeated. I've kind of poked fun at it but I watched it with interest from beginning to end, even as I managed to avoid the more obvious attempts at manipulation. It's by no means a "bad" or insulting movie and there's a lot of talent on display.

drpakmanrains It is rare that I rent a movie on Netflix and give it one star. And even one star is generous, as this is a slow slow slow paced film trying to be artsy and show the 50's or early 60's south as it was before air conditioning and Civil Rights breakthroughs. It has almost no story, dull characters, and accomplishes very little. The hour and 39 minutes seemed like an eternity. I was waiting for the pimply youth who raped Dakota Fanning to get some comeuppance, but even that didn't really happen. This film was badly written, acted, and directed despite a good cast. Dakota Fanning was not at her best, but compared to the rest of the cast, except for her same age little boy friend, she was the only one with a shred of believability. Piper Laurie reprises her 1976 role in Carrie. Robin Wright Penn and David Morse are wasted in empty performances. I can't believe that anyone could find this movie important or worth the time.

thinker1691 In the hidden recesses of the South, there are many tragic stories which emerge about how brutal life is. Often such stories can make it to the big screen and illustrate how difficult it is to put it on film. 'Bastard out of Carolina' and 'Betrayed' are but two examples. Here is another which was purportedly so shocking few would be able to finish it. The movie is called " Hounddog " and relates the early life of a little girl named Lewellen (Dakota Fanning) who lives in a shabby, ram shackled house with her itinerant, slightly retarded father, (David Morse) who is scratching out a modest living as a farmer. Helping to raise Lewellen is "Grammie" (Piper Laurie) her Grandmother, a strict, overbearing and often religiously intolerant relative who keeps the family secrets and indiscretion records of all the "Sins" committed by the family. Lewellen has one close friend named 'Buddy' (Cody Hanford) whom she trusts and shares what little happiness there is in her life. Lewellen has one overpowering ambition and that is to imitate her idol, Elvis Presley (Ryan Pelton). To this end, she will do anything to see him in a live concert. So driven is she to her quest, she allows herself to be tricked and raped. The controversial scene is almost non-existent and nothing if transient. The editing, dialog, directing and script are poor and few scenes are given much depth. So much so, one concludes the story and it's integral film parts are juvenile, haphazard and often amateurish at best. One aspect of the movie should be noted and that is Lewellen's friendship with the neighboring black character called Charles (Afemo Omilami) who offers understanding, comfort, sage advice and medicinal education concerning snakes and the intention of enemies. The movie has gained little accolades aside from the controversy. In short, the movie is interesting, but little which will propel audiences to remember it. **

kwugboots I have to give this film a 7 because it really got me thinking, particularly the character "Buddy" that Cody Hanford (a fantastic actor) played. I didn't fully buy the radical character change that Buddy apparently went through half way through the film, the director did not really show any gradual change in Buddy, and we are left wondering how such a caring, sweet boy can behave so callously and maliciously. I think that the film-maker portrayed Buddy far too simplistically, and this was a failing point of the film because to me Buddy's complex character and actions - and guilt - were the most interesting parts of the film. Although Buddy's character change seemed too extreme (or at least too unexplained)to be believable, Cody Hanford did a great job and his character really interested me. I keep thinking about the guilt that a young sensitive 10-ish year old boy would have to deal with and live with, after acting the way that he did. He was trying to fit in with the cruel older guys, and supported them after the rape rather than Dakota even though he clearly felt guilty for making a deal with the milk boy (rapist). Part of Buddy's harsh treatment of Dakota after the rape was probably because he felt so guilty. SPOILER: Buddy is a sweet and very sensitive, caring 10ish year old boy who is best friends with Dakota early in the film. His dad beats him up. He doesn't seem to have other friends. He almost drowns in the lake, Dakota rescues him, and he makes her promise not to tell anyone that he can't swim. Buddy later sees Dakota crying because she has no money for Elvis tickets and he begs Dakota, "don't cry, please don't cry. I will get you those tickets, I promise". She is mean to him & tells him that she doesn't have time to play with him until he gets her those tickets. Buddy makes a deal with an older teenage boy, who promises to give him 2 tickets if he can get Dakota to do her 'Hounddog' song in front of him, naked. Dakota agrees to do this in exchange for a 'Hounddog' ticket, but the teenage boy rapes her (in front of a shocked/traumatized Buddy). In church soon after Buddy looks at Dakota then whispers to his new (girl)friend, and they both laugh at her. After church Buddy's new girlfriend tells Dakota that she and Buddy are going to go see Elvis perform that night. Buddy looks guilty & ashamed. Later that night, Dakota watches them exit the Elvis performance. Buddy waves goodbye to his girlfriend and hops happily into the truck of the older teenage boy who raped Dakota, who drives him home. Buddy plays pool with the older teenage boys later that night, including the rapist, and seems happy (until Dakota's mentally impaired father wanders into the room naked and the boys poke him with pool sticks; Buddy is terrified & hides under the table, indicating he has been traumatized from watching Dakota's earlier rape). Dakota is very ill & Buddy overhears her grandmother worry that Dakota might be dying. In the final film scene that involves Buddy, Buddy brings up his worries with the teenager who raped Dakota, saying "if she dies, it will be our fault" and "you might have broken something inside of her". His fears are dismissed by the older teenagers who just joke about the rape. Buddy clearly feels guilty about betraying Dakota. I think that Buddy changed far too drastically in the film, and with no warning. How could such a sensitive, caring boy turn into such a revenge-seeking callous child? There should have been a scene showing Buddy hanging out with the older boys after Dakota refused to play with him (before the rape) as the boys talked about sex/drank beer (we needed a pre-rape scene showing that Buddy was becoming friends with the older boys, and moving his loyalty from Dakota to them instead). Also, Buddy should have seemed more worried/guilty/afraid when making the deal, or when telling Dakota what she had to do to earn her ticket. I think there should have been a tense scene of Buddy & the milk boy (the rapist) interacting after the rape, exploring how Buddy responded to what the milk boy did. All we see after the rape is Buddy hanging out with & having fun with the milk boy. We know that Buddy feels very guilty and ashamed for his part in the rape, but he never turns his anger/hostility/fear onto the milk boy.