[7]

In this adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s novella, a horny teenager and his sarcastic dog communicate telepathically while wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of food and women. The heart of this film is the antagonistic yet loving relationship between its title characters, the human half of which is played by future Miami Vice star Don Johnson. The dog (voiced by Tim McIntire) resents his dependency on Johnson for survival. He constantly mocks Johnson’s character for being recklessly sex-obsessed and unappreciative of the dog’s contributions to their symbiotic relationship, which includes sniffing out enemies and women. Stripped of its stylings and pretenses, A Boy and His Dog is essentially an odd but surprisingly compelling inter-species male bonding movie.

The narrative is loose and somewhat episodic, ultimately forcing Johnson to choose between continuing his nomadic journeys with the dog or going underground to rescue a woman (Susanne Benton) who’s been kidnapped by an absurd, fundamentalist cult. The dramatic climax centers on Johnson’s escape from servitude as a forced one-man sperm bank. After rescuing his new female mate and returning top-side, he’s once again forced to choose between female or canine companionship. The film ends on a note of grimly dark comedy, but one that speaks to the endurance of casual, homosocial relationships (even interspecies ones), versus the deep, fleeting passions of heterosexual desires. (Granted, this review is being written by a gay man who lacks any patience for the coyness and stifling nature of female friendships.)

A Boy and His Dog may lack the narrative propulsion or visceral set-pieces to keep a mainstream audience engaged from beginning to end, but it’s a rewarding film where subtext and social commentary are concerned. Future two-time Oscar-winner Jason Robards appears as one of the cold, callous leaders of the underground cult. This unusual film’s director and producer are L.Q. Jones and Alvy Moore, two veteran character actors who took a stab at producing and directing, and I’m glad they did. A Boy and His Dog is absurd, awkward, singular, and precious.