The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

"Dogfight" is a surprising film. With that in mind I'm not saying that you're gonna see things you never see before. It's more like that you can enjoy a nice movie with many predictable moments and still be delighted with it. It's very good to just sit and watch and forget everything that comes to mind. It doesn't demand too much of the viewer and that sometimes it's a great thing.It's the simple story of four marines that make a bet between each other before they go to Vietnam. They play a game called "Dogfight" and which one of them has to go out with a ugly girl and take her to a party and the guy who gets the most ugliest of the girls wins the game and a prize. But something happens with the young Eddie (played by the always gifted River Phoenix) when he mets his "ugly girl" Rose (Lili Taylor) a sweet girl who works in her mother's restaurant. In the beginning, when they met each other we seen that something different might happen. He's charming, tells all the things she wants to hear and she follows him into this party. When she discovers the truth and leaves Eddie he follows her and apologizing for his behavior and the behavior of his friends he asks her to go out with him because it's his last night in U.S. The rest of the movie is a collection of moments that you've probably saw it before but here it really works, Taylor and Phoenix's chemistry is incredible, both actors played very well their parts. For an instance I wished that this movie had only these extremely young talented actors in scene (most of the scenes are only played by both). Notice the little special appearance of Brendan Fraser in his first film (very funny scene). River's fans will love it. 10/10

No, this isn't the Michael Vick biography, nor is it a tale of aerial combat during World War I. Rather, what "Dogfight" gives us is the story of a group of Marines who, in 1963 San Francisco, engage in a contest to see who can bring the ugliest girl to a party. River Phoenix, playing Cpl. Eddie Birdlace, chooses plain-looking waitress Rose Fenny in his bid for the prize money, but when Rose learns what is going on, the callous "jarhead" finds out that there's a lot more beneath that homely surface than he could have ever imagined.... I originally rented this one out after reading an article about it in Danny Peary's fun book "Alternate Oscars," in which he makes the case for Lili Taylor being more deserving of the 1991 Best Actress award than Jodie Foster, who won that year for "The Silence of the Lambs." Though I personally feel that Mimi Rogers should have won that dubious honor in '91 for her startling performance in "The Rapture," I must admit that Taylor does some very impressive work here as the surprisingly resilient, sweet, spunky and charming Rose, a supposedly ugly duckling who even the chauvinistic and foul-mouthed Eddie comes to realize is a blessing in his life. Phoenix impresses here also, letting us see the inner-core decency buried deep beneath the Marine bravado. Featuring a terrific soundtrack largely composed of early '60s folk songs (with a particularly fine use of Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright") and sensitive direction by Nancy Savoca, "Dogfight" is a sweet little film that is certainly well worth any viewer's time. How wonderful it is to see Rose blossom by the film's end! And her statement "I don't think it's fair to prejudge people on how they look or how they're dressed" is one that it would be well to remember. I cannot imagine anyone not being charmed by this overlooked little winner, and recommend it wholeheartedly to all IMDb viewers.

Group of Marines in 1963 San Francisco compete to see who can get the ugliest date. River Phoenix's Eddie Birdlace manages to humiliate Lily Taylor's Rose before finally seeing the human being underneath the unattractive coif and clothes--which of course makes him a better man. Silly, dead-end premise is not enhanced by sloppy writing nor variable performances. Taylor's rage is convincing, yet she doesn't show much range as an actress (this may be the fault of the writing, as her Rose is flimsily constructed out of clichés). The film's title is a foolish conceit, though it matches up fairly well with the screenplay--both are simple-minded. The picture's third act abandons the rowdy bravado and settles into a more conventional 'romantic drama' scenario; this section actually works the best, although the characters still fail to surprise us. ** from ****

I saw this movie when it was released and found the story line to be very touching. It was set in a time that most of us can relate to. Actually, if you have lived through any war and watched the soldiers leave for active duty, you know the pangs young lovers experience when they say goodbye. I thought the actors all did a great job with their respective parts, especially Richard Panebianco, who played the part of Berzin and had the winning date. The scene on the dance floor was very funny. I would liked to have seen more of his character. The two stars Lili and River, were, as always, very good. This flick runs on TV every so often and if I catch it, I watch it - again and again.