At some point during this movie your mouth will open and it will stay there.

The true story behind Dog Day Afternoon is way crazier than you imagine. John Wjtowicz was a dirty old man, a self-aggrandizer, and a gay rights pioneer (who knew?). This documentary is a hair too long, but always entertaining.

The documentary "The Dog" tails the tale of the late John Wojtowicz; the real life homosexual bank robber who the hit 70's film "Dog Day Afternoon" is based on. As presented in "Dog Day Afternoon", Wojtowicz' committed a bank robbery in early 70's in New York, along with two amateurs, to pay for his boyfriend's sex change operation. In the doc "The Dog", Wojtowicz is presented as an outlandish, outspoken New Yorkan who had no regrets about his crime; and also does not restraint himself on telling all the ins & outs of his homosexual lifestyle. Directors Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren had a bit of bark in the making of the documentary but not enough bite. Sure, they do interview plenty of players involved in that infamous bank robbery including Wojtowicz's ex-boyfriends, his ex- wife, and the amateur would-be robber who chickened out. But somehow, I felt "The Dog" tried to bite more than it could chew by stating too many mundane happenings. Nevertheless, you attica check it out if you are going through one of those dog days; just beware of some of "The Dog" drawbacks I warned you about. *** Average

John Wojtowicz, the bank robber whose story was told in "Dog Day Afternoon", tells his story ... a much bigger story than the one told in the Lumet flm. Wojtowicz takes us through his discovery of his homosexuality while serving in the army, his first marriage and first divorce, his involvement in the early gay rights movement, his involvement in one of the first same-sex marriages to be performed in NYC, and the events that drove him to rob the bank. He's the center of the film, and his unbelievably entertaining in a manner that only a New Yorker can be. He's also unbelievably frank ... at one point he nonchalantly tells us that his nickname was due to his really small penis. Watch this film.

This is probably the most f*cked up documentary I have ever watched.

'The Dog' is a very entertaining documentary about the man and the story behind the iconic 70s movie 'Dog Day Afternoon'. I like following the aftermath of the real life robbery like this is an unofficial sequel. 'Dog Day', one of my all time favorites, is so great that the documentary can't reach the greatness of the 70s classic but this documentary is still fascinating.

An interesting look at a man who was quite the character.

I love Dog Day Afternoon. Granted, I haven't seen it in years, but I think it's a great film. What a surprise to see that the real-life events that it's based on are actually even more interesting. This really could have been a feature film, but I'm so glad that instead it's a documentary. John Wojtowicz is an even more interesting person than his character in Dog Day Afternoon. Really great job balancing out many of his life events and not trying to cram too much in and still leaving a big emotional impact. Great stuff, and I highly recommend it. It can be highly funny and also have a big emotional impact. Heartbreaking without being sappy.

John Wojtowicz is a fascinating character with a story that seems almost too crazy to be true but I don't think this documentary got under the surface of it enough. It seems like some of the most obvious questions about the topics presented here (gay life in the 60s/70, describing the robbery, reacting to the movie) go both unasked and unanswered in favor of a somewhat meandering telling of his life story that glosses over significant pieces without fanfare. I give it three stars simply because hearing some of the things that come out of not only his mouth but his mother's is more than worth watching. In the end though this could have been so much richer.

fact that is the way to the other day

Fascinating documentary about the real bank robber in Dog Day Afternoon. I really liked it.

If you thought the circumstances in the film Dog Day Afternoon were bizarre, it's nothing compared to how bonkers John Wojtowicz's life was in reality. This documentary is a pretty good recountal of the life of the guy who was played by Al Pacino in the film.

A documentary glorifying an unrepentant jerk is actually sometimes interesting. This wasn't one of those times.

Excellent documentary, thought provoking and moving. Funny and interesting. Fully recommended.

Meet John Wojtowicz. If the name does not sound familiar(and no reason why it should), then it is definitely worth mentioning that he was the inspiration for the movie "Dog Day Afternoon." And he comes off as very much a character himself in this highly engaging documentary. But it was not always that way, as he started off as a Goldwater Republican and got married. Four years later, he campaigned for Eugene McCarthy.(Vietnam would do that to a guy.) At the same time, he was also becoming attracted to other men, involving himself in the nascent gay rights movement of the early 70's, partially just to get laid.(He describes himself as 'perverse.' I would amend that to 'polymorphously perverse.') By the way, some of those protests involve same sex marriage. And that's where Liz Eden, nee Ernest Aron, comes into the picture, Joe's lover who he married in something of a mock ceremony. In fact, he robbed the bank to pay someone to break her out of a psych ward where she was being held on suicide watch. The demand to pay for her sex change operation would come out of the siege at the bank which is no longer there, nor is there any kind of plaque. So, was Joe a revolutionary or just yet another garden variety common criminal? Depends on who you ask. In any case, he was definitely reckless and it was lucky more people were not killed, as the intense media coverage knocked the even more criminal Richard Nixon off the nightly news. In the end, Joe served his time and Liz got her operation. But since this is not a fairy tale, nobody lived happily ever after.

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That "Dog Day Afternoon" seems to have defined The Dog for the rest of his life. He traded on the notoriety ever after and shares his story and his legend freely, enthusiastically, and profanely (if perhaps not entirely reliably). The day of the robbery takes up only a small part of this documentary and we learn a whole lot about The Dog, his lifestyle, his braggadocio, and his family. We're left with some questions, though, as we see The Dog's declining health but are given almost no detail about ailment(s) or timeline.

The real story behind DOG DAY AFTERNOON is phenomenally complex, and filmmakers Keraudren and Berg manage to pull of an impossible job. It helps that Wojtowicz holds nothing back, but the intimacy captured in the interviews with key players and the organic edit of the storyline is what leaves you touched.

If you loved Dog Day Afternoon, you will love this crisp well developed doc on the story that inspired it all. John Wojtowicz proves as dynamic a personality as Pacino.

I'm really done with docs. This dud of a film takes a crazy fascinating story and turns it into a total bore. No style. No wit. No sophistication. Rent DOG DAY AFTERNOON instead.