75
Not just another charming film about growing up, but an expertly directed tale that takes a small, simple subject and colors it with invention and inspiration.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
88
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
Splendidly acted, and directed with touches of visual poetry by Lasse Hallstr"om, but a little heavy on trite sexual-awakening scenes.
90
Washington Post by Desson Thomson
The chemistry between the actors, particularly between Anton and Kinnaman, is sometimes magical.
60
The movie has some beautifully observed moments and a generous spirit, but in the end, it's undone by its own sweetness and charm....It's just not distinctive enough to sustain your interest. A lot of the movie is routine coming-of-age stuff.
70
The film rarely strays from easy likability, with Hallstrom's spare, efficient styling creating a sense of chaste northern lyric (simultaneously warm and chilly: everyone wears coats in summer) familiar from early Bergman. More unassuming mongrel than pricey pedigree, but not a bad time in all.
70
The New York Times by Vincent Canby
The trouble with My Life as a Dog is that too often it imposes an alien sensibility upon the boy, requiring that he behave in a way that adults can too easily identify as charming. My Life as a Dog is a movie with a split point of view.