Year of the Dog (PG-13, 2007)

In screenwriter Mike White's (Chuck & Buck, School of Rock) directorial debut, Molly Shannon is Peggy, a sweet-but-forgettable woman whose sole intimate connection is with her adoring pet beagle, Pencil. When Pencil dies of toxic poisoning after snooping around a neighbor's (John C. Reilly) yard, Peggy grows despondent -- suffering from the kind of gut-wrenching grief that people go through when they lose an immediate family member. While Peggy's still mourning, animal adoption worker Newt (Peter Sarsgaard) convinces her to rescue an aggressive German Shepherd, which he offers to train. Inspired by and attracted to Newt -- a staunch activist dedicated to various animal causes -- Peggy decides to become a vegan and starts hounding her co-workers to sign petitions, eat animal-free cupcakes, and adopt pets. For the first time, Peggy seems happy, and her busybody work friend Layla (Regina King) immediately notices the lovestruck glow. But when Newt admits he's celibate and is unwilling to have a romantic relationship, a crushed Peggy comes undone. She quickly devolves into a smelly, unkempt dog lady who doesn't even brush her hair or clean her house (which quickly gets filthy after she brings home a pack of rescued dogs).

Thus far, Shannon's film career has been relegated to supporting quirky-friend roles, in which her manic energy and crack comedic timing get limited screen time. So who knew that the Saturday Night Live alum responsible for underarm-sniffing Superstar schoolgirl Mary Catherine Gallagher was capable of such a subtle, standout performance as an animal-loving wallflower? Throughout Peggy's transformation, Shannon is a vision. Every gesture and expression is perfectly calibrated to evoke pathos and sympathy for the sensitive, loving Peggy.

White, who's confessed that he's a pro-animal-rights vegan, could be construed as making an agenda film, but YEAR OF THE DOG is really a poignant chronicle of love lost and self discovery.