Lawn Dogs

"Innocence is a dangerous friend."

1997 1h 41m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

72%

FRESH

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 115🍅72%Rotten Tomatoes★7.4IMDB · 8,742

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the affluent, gated community of Camelot Gardens, bored wives indiscriminately sleep around while their unwitting husbands try desperately to climb the social ladder. Trent, a 21-year-old outsider who mows the neighborhood lawns, quietly observes the infidelities and hypocrisies of this overly privileged society. When Devon, a 10-year-old daughter from one family, forges a friendship with Trent, things suddenly get very complicated.

“Innocence is a dangerous friend.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Shout! Factory Amazon ChannelSubscription

Howdy Amazon ChannelSubscription

Cast

Sam Rockwell
Trent Burns
Mischa Barton
Devon Stockard
Christopher McDonald
Morton Stockard
Kathleen Quinlan
Clare Stockard
Bruce McGill
Nash
David Barry Gray
Brett
Eric Mabius
Sean
Tom Aldredge
Trent's Father

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Duigan
Writers: Naomi Wallace
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Duigan, shot by Elliot Davis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Humphrey Dixon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton and Christopher McDonald carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Innocence is a dangerous friend.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0119506 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Duigan directs. Elliot Davis behind the camera. Trevor Jones scores. Humphrey Dixon cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 2% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by John Duigan, shot by Elliot Davis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Trevor Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Humphrey Dixon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Sam Rockwell and Mischa Barton and Christopher McDonald carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Innocence is a dangerous friend.".
8IMDB entry: tt0119506 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 11 themes, including "infidelity", "friendship", "lawnmower", "suspicion".

The technical file

Cinematography: Elliot Davis
Original score: Trevor Jones
Editing: Humphrey Dixon
Production design: John Myhre
Makeup / hair: Patricia Regan
VFX supervisor: Tim Webber
Sound: Dean Humphreys
Stunt coordinator: John Copeman
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $7,000,000
Box office: $106,404
Return: 2% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Lawn Dogs (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 8,742 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

7 wins & 4 nominations

Also by

John Duigan

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-01-02
★ 6/10
Great plot, cast & locations, but problematic execution An athletic 21 year-old groundskeeper (Sam Rockwell) lives in a ramshackle trailer in the woods near a gated community and mows the lawns of its wealthy but morally bankrupt occupants. A perceptive 10 year-old girl (Mischa Barton) is drawn to his genuineness because she discerns the hypocrisy of her parents (Christopher McDonald & Kathleen Quinlan) and the fakeness of her new community. But can an unconventional friendship like this last in such a scenario? Bruce McGill plays the security guy at the complex. "Lawn Dogs" (1997) is a drama with a satirical edge that has everything necessary for a great movie, but then fumbles a bit in execution. For instance, the key sequences where Trent (Rockwell) and Devon (Mischa) start to develop a friendship feel forced. The script needed tweaked with maybe some ad-libbing, but SOMETHING needed done to make these important scenes work better. As it is they’re at best serviceable and at worst unconvincing. If you can get past that serious flaw (and a couple cavils), there’s a lot of good here, even a little greatness. One critic denounced the film on the grounds that it didn’t know what its message was. Really? It has three main points and they come across loud and clear, but I’m not going to give ’em away and spoil it for viewers. The movie runs 1 hour, 41 minutes, and was shot in Prospect, Kentucky, and the surrounding area (just northeast of Louisville, by the Ohio River). GRADE: B-

Production companies