July 23, 2025
FILM: AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK
DIRECTED BY: TOBY JONES
STARRING: AJ THOMPSON, GREG CARLSON, DANNY DAVY
RATING: 1 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
From the very first scenes it’s clear that something is off about AJ Goes to the Dark Park. The acting is not good and everything feels artificial. Then you realize, “oh, yeah, this is a satire!” There’s not supposed to be narrative logic or believable actors. This is supposed to be funny! However, none of it is.
The basic set up is stated in the title: twentysomething AJ brings his two dogs to his favorite dog park in Fargo, North Dakota only to find it has been converted to a blog park. Everyone is sitting outside on their computers…blogging. This is just one of many disruptions to AJ’s day as his “perfect” routine life is upended. His regular breakfast is no longer safe to eat. His married best friends announce they are moving the next day to Texas and his favorite streaming service, YouTube, is suddenly unavailable. AJ blames it on the obnoxious mayor of the city and is determined to fight back. He enrolls in elbow fight training lessons. (Yes, you read that right.) The mayor’s aides, two Men in Black-like characters, also become AJ’s enemy and from there the plot rambles on…
If you found any of that description amusing this film might actually work for you. It didn’t for me. Frankly, I’m not sure how the film found any distribution to be playing in a major city like Chicago. However, there’s always an audience for silly, over-the-top experiences like this where visual gags and costumes are meant to appear ridiculous. I spent many years teaching film to students who would often create short films like this that they and their friends howled with laughter at as they were screened for class projects. (Heck, I even appeared in one as “Man who steps in gum!”)
But those were student films made by young people just having a good time. Writer/Director Toby Jones has apparently made a name for himself with similar productions, many of them animated. Clearly, someone is giving him money to make his various films and TV series. He must have an audience. However, so much within AJ Goes to the Dog Park is SO over-the-top and played SO broadly that there’s not much to grasp onto and the humor lands completely flat. I’d imagine seeing it in a theater with those that appreciate such comedy might make for a strange good time but the narrative is all over the place.
Lengthening the film are a series of character flashback stories which at times are visually interesting if a bit sophomoric in style. Certain settings suddenly become miniatures and AJ and his dogs, at times, become replaced by stuffed dolls ready to be thrown around at will by other characters. There’s also a mysterious time jump, a plot line related to sapping trees, and a crazy, out of nowhere, final action scene that seems unrelated to the rest of the plot. It’s all a mess of goofy ideas.
Lead actor AJ Thompson does have an endearing presence on screen and plays the character with enough innocence that we can buy why he is the center of this story. The actress who plays the enemy mayor is never likeable though. I can only wonder what the real mayor of Fargo would think of this portrayal. Other actors fill the atmosphere with one-liners that are sometimes so awful one might wonder if their casting was purely accidental or included for more supposed comic relief.
Look, I’m clearly not the right audience for this film. As a dog lover, I wanted to see a guy really fight to get his dog park back! Sadly, that’s not what this is. At one point the mayor makes the comment, “so bad it’s good.” Unfortunately, this is so bad it’s bad.
AJ Goes to the Dog Park is currently playing in a handful of theaters in the Midwest for one night only. It will play tomorrow (July 24th) at the Music Box Theater in Chicago with appearances from Toby Jones, AJ Thompson, and producer Ben Hanson.
FILM: AJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK
DIRECTED BY: TOBY JONES
STARRING: AJ THOMPSON, GREG CARLSON, DANNY DAVY
RATING: 1 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
From the very first scenes it’s clear that something is off about AJ Goes to the Dark Park. The acting is not good and everything feels artificial. Then you realize, “oh, yeah, this is a satire!” There’s not supposed to be narrative logic or believable actors. This is supposed to be funny! However, none of it is.
The basic set up is stated in the title: twentysomething AJ brings his two dogs to his favorite dog park in Fargo, North Dakota only to find it has been converted to a blog park. Everyone is sitting outside on their computers…blogging. This is just one of many disruptions to AJ’s day as his “perfect” routine life is upended. His regular breakfast is no longer safe to eat. His married best friends announce they are moving the next day to Texas and his favorite streaming service, YouTube, is suddenly unavailable. AJ blames it on the obnoxious mayor of the city and is determined to fight back. He enrolls in elbow fight training lessons. (Yes, you read that right.) The mayor’s aides, two Men in Black-like characters, also become AJ’s enemy and from there the plot rambles on…
If you found any of that description amusing this film might actually work for you. It didn’t for me. Frankly, I’m not sure how the film found any distribution to be playing in a major city like Chicago. However, there’s always an audience for silly, over-the-top experiences like this where visual gags and costumes are meant to appear ridiculous. I spent many years teaching film to students who would often create short films like this that they and their friends howled with laughter at as they were screened for class projects. (Heck, I even appeared in one as “Man who steps in gum!”)
But those were student films made by young people just having a good time. Writer/Director Toby Jones has apparently made a name for himself with similar productions, many of them animated. Clearly, someone is giving him money to make his various films and TV series. He must have an audience. However, so much within AJ Goes to the Dog Park is SO over-the-top and played SO broadly that there’s not much to grasp onto and the humor lands completely flat. I’d imagine seeing it in a theater with those that appreciate such comedy might make for a strange good time but the narrative is all over the place.
Lengthening the film are a series of character flashback stories which at times are visually interesting if a bit sophomoric in style. Certain settings suddenly become miniatures and AJ and his dogs, at times, become replaced by stuffed dolls ready to be thrown around at will by other characters. There’s also a mysterious time jump, a plot line related to sapping trees, and a crazy, out of nowhere, final action scene that seems unrelated to the rest of the plot. It’s all a mess of goofy ideas.
Lead actor AJ Thompson does have an endearing presence on screen and plays the character with enough innocence that we can buy why he is the center of this story. The actress who plays the enemy mayor is never likeable though. I can only wonder what the real mayor of Fargo would think of this portrayal. Other actors fill the atmosphere with one-liners that are sometimes so awful one might wonder if their casting was purely accidental or included for more supposed comic relief.
Look, I’m clearly not the right audience for this film. As a dog lover, I wanted to see a guy really fight to get his dog park back! Sadly, that’s not what this is. At one point the mayor makes the comment, “so bad it’s good.” Unfortunately, this is so bad it’s bad.
AJ Goes to the Dog Park is currently playing in a handful of theaters in the Midwest for one night only. It will play tomorrow (July 24th) at the Music Box Theater in Chicago with appearances from Toby Jones, AJ Thompson, and producer Ben Hanson.