"A lively romantic comedy, grounded by John Cusack as an intense idealist with wit and a big heart, about the role of Internet match-making services in the dating game." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH "A somewhat generic romantic comedy blessed with a generous heart, bright dialogue and irresistible stars. Plus, it's not averse to taking risks." Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION "It is a charming, old-fashioned romantic comedy with enough modern touches to strike a chord with today's audiences." Michael Elliott MOVIE PARABLES "Diane Lane and John Cusack have such terrific chemistry together in the genial romantic comedy Must Love Dogs that it's a wonder these two veteran performers have never been teamed before." Lou Lumenick NEW YORK POST "Romantic comedies usually stand or fall on the likability of the leads, and the leads in Must Love Dogs, Lane and John Cusack, both of whom downplay the shtickiness of the material by underselling it, are very likable." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS

"A romantic comedy is only as irresistible as are its temporarily star-crossed lovers. By this barometer, the enjoyably breezy Must Love Dogs boasts quite a pedigree." Connie Ogle MIAMI HERALD "Must Love Dogs, though, has some things a lot of today's romantic comedies don't have and need badly: smart dialogue, bright characters and a pair of lovers who don't look as if they belong at a college bash or in a gossip column." Michael Wilmington CHICAGO TRIBUNE "It works. That's the most and the least that can be said of this frequently funny romcom." Steve Schneider ORLANDO WEEKLY "Lane and Cusack create characters who are genuine, funny and romantic." Steve Rhodes INTERNET REVIEWS "Must Love Dogs ... unleashes snappy, smart dialogue that's good enough to make us want to sit and stay." Larry Ratliff SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Inside Story

"Must Love Dogs proves that you can teach an old genre new tricks." Jeff Strickler MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE

LOVE -n. 1 deep affection or fondness; 2 sexual passion; 3 sexual relations; 4 a beloved one; sweetheart (often as a form of address). b colloq. form of address regardless of affection; 5 [colloq] person of whom one is fond; 6 affectionate greetings (give him my love). LOVING -v. 1 feel love or a deep fondness for. 2 delight in; admire; greatly cherish. LOVER -n. 1 person in love with another. 2 person with whom another is having sexual relations. Ask anyone what is the most important thing you can have in your life and most will tell you it's love. It's not money that makes the world go round they'll say. It's love. An unexplainable chemical reaction that bonds two people together. For how long we never know. Sometimes love can last a life time, but love can disappear as quickly as it came along. However, when love does come along, wow, what an experience it can be. There can be down-sides to falling in love though. Have you ever noticed how much people change when they fall in love? How annoying they can become? You know what I mean! They get all clingy. They suddenly disappear off the face of the earth ignoring their best friends as they become totally focussed on him or her. Like 'Siamese Twins' they become inseperable as if joined at the waist. All of their conversations centre on each other. "I'm so happy. He's so wonderful. I never thought I'd meet someone who could make me feel so good. I know he's the one, my Mister Right. He's the one I want to spend the rest of my life with." And have you ever noticed how some people who are 'in love' can make everyone around them feel totally inadequate for some reason? Their love is so overpowering, you wish they'd just go away. It's enough to make you sick as they go on and on about each other. It is as if no-one else knows anything about or has ever, ever experienced love but them. Yet, despite all the pitfalls, love is something we all need, most of us hope to find and we'd all give our right arm for. There-in lies the problem. You can't find love, it has to find you. And, as that famous song from 1966 by The Supremes suggests, "You Can't Hurry Love". A lot of people in that era must have understood the message because it was top of the Billboard 100 from September 4th to September 17th 1966. How thought provocking is the complete chorus in which Mama said; "You can't hurry love, No you'll just have to wait. She said love don't come easy, It's a game of give and take". Mama's words ring true as we all know. Love is a waiting game. While there are many methods we can all employ to increase the chances of finding love, there's still no guarantee we'll find true love by going down those paths. Most of the time love just comes along and grabs us. Suddenly we're smitten by its power. We're under its spell and we wouldn't have it any other way. Would we? Of course not! When it comes to the movies, romance has played a big part when you think of successful films. Films such as "Gone With The Wind", "My Fair Lady", "Cleopatra", "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", "Doctor Zhivago", "Ghost", "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", "Punch Drunk Love", "The English Patient", "Titanic" and even "Shrek", all spring to mind. Given some of the films I have listed, it would be fair to say that the road to love hasn't always been an easy one. Over the years it seems it may not have gotten any easier either, even if we do now have the power of the internet at our fingertips. That's the theme of Warner Bros latest film, the romantic comedy, "Must Love Dogs" starring New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics Best Actress Award winner Diane Lane and, an actor who has made a real name for playing lead roles in two well known romantic comedies ["Serendipty", and "America's Sweethearts"], Independent Spirit Best Actor Award nominee John Cusack. Based on the best-selling book "Must Love Dogs" by Claire Cook, this is a film which will have a lot of people in its audiences knowingly nodding there heads at what transpires on the screen. "We wanted to explore one woman’s search for love in an increasingly frantic world," says director Gary David Goldberg. "Sarah Nolan is a woman whose life didn’t turn out exactly as she expected. Now she’s in transition. She has to summon up the courage to get out there and try again, and the world is not as hospitable or forgiving as it should be. It’s an uncomfortable and often very funny place to be, rich with human predicaments we can all relate to." As audiences will soon discover. The two time EMMY award winner ["Lou Grant" and "Family Ties"] says he was in semi-retirement until, "stopping at a local bookstore one day, he saw Claire Cook’s novel, a Literary Guild Book Club selection, featured as the staff’s pick-of-the-week. He read it and laughed out loud. Before long, he was mulling over possibilities for a script and bidding for film rights." Goldberg's enthusiasm is shared by his fellow producers Suzanne Todd and Jennifer Todd of Team Todd. "Unlike a lot of broad high-concept romantic comedies. Must Love Dogs derives its humor from real characters and real situations," Suzanne Todd notes. "It’s a sweet, honest movie about putting yourself back together," says her sister Jennifer. "Plus, Suzanne and I enjoyed the sister relationship and the family dynamics, which are amazingly true to life. With Suzanne and I working together we’ve had so many people tell us either that they think it’s wonderful and they would love to be able to work with a sibling or just the opposite, that they can’t imagine how we do it and remain on speaking terms. Everyone relates it to their own circumstance and the same is true the first time you encounter Sarah’s family, which is very much in each other’s business." And getting Sarah back into the dating game is something the family has made their business, I might add. Their 'pushiness" is something a lot of us can relate to, especially when we've been moping around, broken hearted after a relationship has gone belly up. I mean, who wants relatives, well intentioned though they may be, organizing our love life? The beauty of "Must Love Dogs" is that it does reflect a lot of what getting back into the meet [or is that meat] market entails. Those real life situations and the comedy that comes with them are what really interests Goldberg. "The kind of comedy that interests me is based in reality, "mining legitimate laughs from territory that’s familiar to people," Goldberg emphasizes. "I look for laughs of recognition that come from everyday life, where people in the audience will watch it and think, ‘okay, that’s me,’ or ‘that’s my sister, my brother, my best friend.’ You can sit there and laugh at yourself and your own foibles and know that you’re not alone." As part of his research for the film project, Goldberg consulted relationship strategist Susan Page, author of the book "If I’m So Wonderful Why Am I Still Single?. But why Internet Dating? "The traditional ways of meeting people have broken down," Goldberg says. "There isn’t the community that used to exist. Instead, there’s this whole new sense of community on the Internet but it’s still an alien world to many of us. It’s like there’s a big dance going on and Sarah doesn’t know the steps." Those of us with a few brains know that the internet is not always what it seems. Especially when you don't really know who's on the other computer. "There you are online chatting with a guy who says he’s six-foot two, dark hair, blue eyes and in great shape," says actress Elizabeth Perkins, who plays Sarah's sister in the film. "Then, when you walk into the coffee shop to meet him you think you got the address wrong because there’s no one in the room who even remotely resembles that description. That would be fun, wouldn’t it." I'd say almost as much fun as it must have been hearing about peoples dating experiences on the internet. "You’d think we were pushing it for the sake of comedy, but the truth is, we’re not taking liberties here; these are very realistic," Jennifer Todd confirms. "You should have heard the horror stories people volunteered once they knew we were doing this movie." But is it really a story audiences will go for. Actress Diane Lane thinks so. From her first reading of the script Lane recognized "the ring of truth the story delivers to so many people who are realistically looking to meet someone special and facing the frustrations that entails. The fact is, there are more women looking for love than there are available men and there are a lot of people, men and women, who are investigating dating services for the first time. It’s a story people can relate to." Crew Bytes "MUST LOVE DOGS" was .......
directed by EMMY Award, Humanitas Award, 1991 Producers Guild Award and Valentine Davies Award recipient Gary David Goldberg ["Dad"]; screenplay by Gary David Goldberg ["Dad", "Bye Bye, Love" and TV'S "Family Ties" and "Spin City"]; adapted from the original story by Claire Cook ["Multiple Choice", "Must Love Dogs" and "Ready To Fall"]; costume design by Florence-Isabelle Megginson ["Not Another Teen Movie", "The Six Million Dollar Detective" and "The Clearing"] and Gamila Smith ["Nowhere to Run", "Swimming Upstream", "The Bug in My Ear" and "The Dark Agent and the Passing of the Torch Chapter 7"]; production design by Naomi Shohan ["Teaching Mrs Tingle", "American Beauty", "Training Day", "Tears Of The Sun" and "Constantine"]; edited by Roger Bondelli ["Bye, Bye Love", "George of the Jungle", "Anna and the King" and "Who Is Cletis Tout?"] and EMMY and A.C.E. Award winner Eric A Sears A.C.E. ["Hot Shots!", "The 6th Man", "Final Destination 2" and "Cellular"]; cinematography by Cannes Film Festival Artistic Achievement Award winner John Bailey ["The Accidental Tourist", "As Good as It Gets", "For The Love Of The Game", "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"]; original music by THREE TIME Ivor Novello Award winner; BAFTA, Golden Globe and American Film Institute Awards recipient Craig Armstrong ["The Bone Collector", "The Magdalene Sisters", "The Quiet American", "Love Actually" and "Ray"] produced by Women In Film’s celebrated Lucy Award recipient Jennifer Todd ["Now and Then", "Austin Powers I, II & III", "Boiler Room" and "Memento"], Women In Film’s celebrated Lucy Award recipient Suzanne Todd ["Now and Then", "G.I. Jane", "Austin Powers I, II & III" and "Memento"] and Gary David Goldberg [TV'S "The Tony Randall Show", "Family Ties", "Spin City" and "Battery Park"]. Casting About "MUST LOVE DOGS" stars .......
Diane Lane ["Judge Dredd", "The Perfect Storm", "Unfaithful" and "Under the Tuscan Sun"]; John Cusack ["The Thin Red Line", "High Fidelity", "Serendipity", "Identity" and "Runaway Jury"]; Elizabeth Perkins ["Miracle on 34th Street", "28 Days", "Cats & Dogs" and "The Ring Two"]; Christopher Plummer ["The Sound Of Music", "A Beautiful Mind", "Nicholas Nickleby", "Cold Creek Manor" and "National Treasure"]; Dermot Mulroney ["Copycat", "Lovely & Amazing", "The Safety of Objects", "About Schmidt" and "The Wedding Date"]; Stockard Channing ["Six Degrees Of Seperation", "The First Wives Club", "The Business of Strangers", "Bright Young Things" and "Le Divorce"]; Ali Hillis ["All The Wrong Places", "The Month of August", "Greener Mountains" and "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"]; Brad William Henke ["The Fan", "Space Jam", "The Thirteenth Floor" and "The Assassination of Richard Nixon"]; Marylouise Burke ["Freaky Friday", "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story", "A Cinderella Story" and "Christmas with the Kranks"] and Kirk Trutner ["Dante's Peak" and "The Medallion"] as the Deli Guy. What It's All About

"Charming and sweet, wrapping a leash around your heart." Susan Granger MODAMAG.COM

Eight months after her divorce, preschool teacher Sarah Nolan still isn't dating. While she may be happy with her situation, her family and friends are not. Everyone, including her father Bill want her to get out and find a decent guy. When it appears their concerns are falling on deaf ears, Sarah's sister Carol takes things into her own hands and places an advert on the internet dating site, Perfectmatch.com. "Voluptuous, sensuous, alluring and fun. DWF seeks special man to share starlit nights. Must love dogs." Sarah is shocked when her sister shows her the cybersite but Carol persists, after all, look how many men have replied. Convinced that it's maybe not all that bad, Sarah makes arrangements to meet those who have replied. Imagine her surprise when the first man she meets turns out to be her father. Embarressed by the 'encounter', Sarah wants to give cyberdating away, but Carol won't hear of it. Of course she could date Bob, but he's the father of one of her pre-school students. Recently seperated, Bob is, according to his four year old son, incorrigible. "That means he likes other women." Then Sarah meets Jake Anderson. Jakes is interesting, handsome, an idealist who handcrafts wooden boats and he has a dog. Things are looking up. Sarah is feeling good about Jake. They've clicked. Could he be the one? All goes well until Bob gets in the way. Will Sarah ever find 'Mr Right'? The Verdict "A bright, breezey comedy with a heart of gold at it's centre. Lane and Cusack make an ideal team. The performance of the support cast which includes Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Plummer, Dermot Mulroney and Stockard Channing shouldn't be overlooked, they really keep "Must Love Dogs" ticking over. The dialogue is smart, the combination of 'old fashioned' values meets modern technology works well and even though you know in your heart how it's all going to end, you don't really care. "Must Love Dogs" is a very likeable, feel-good film. A perfect date film and one which will have great appeal to all those romantics out there. Recommended." The Cast

Diane Lane John Cusack Elizabeth Perkins Christopher Plummer Dermot Mulroney Stockard Channing Ali Hillis Brad William Henke Julie Gonzalo Glenn Howerton Ben Shenkman Jordana Spiro Kirk Trutner Victor Webster Michael Spound Will McCormack Ted Griffin Marylouise Burke Brad Hall Bobby Coleman Emma Prescott Jaden Sorensen Will Rothhaar Tony Bill Patrick St Esprit Josh Stamberg Anoush NeVart Krikor Satamian Jon Lindstrom Patrick Fabian Steven R Schirripa Bess Wohl Laura Kightlinger Rubria Martins-Negrao Colin Egglesfield Suzy Nakamura Jamie Denbo Miles Hull Amy Kidd Shana Hiatt Mary Castro

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Sarah Jake Carol Bill Bob Dolly Christine Leo June Michael Charlie Sherry Deli Guy Eric Marc Jason Bill Jr Aunt Eileen Stanley Austin Molly Justin Jeremy Walter Marshall Lennie Mrs Parseghian Mr Parseghian JPeter Donald Vinnie Rebecca Marcia Sonia David SMai Bertha Timmy Jennifer Hostess Stripper

The Crew Directed by Gary David Goldberg Based on the best-selling book by Claire Cook Screenplay by Gary David Goldberg Produced by Gary David Goldberg/Jennifer Todd/Suzanne Todd Original Music by Craig Armstrong Cinematography by John Bailey Film Editing by Roger Bondelli & Eric A Sears Casting by Joanna Colbert Production Design by Naomi Shohan Art Direction by Kevin Kavanaugh Set Decoration by Kathryn Peters Costume Design by Florence-Isabelle Megginson & Gamila Smith Miss Lane's Hair Styling by Candy L Walken Executive in charge of production/Mark Scoon Unit Production Manager/Ronald G Smith Run Time 98 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2005 - Warner Bros - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2005 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved