Hounddog Review
By David Kempler
Bad Dog
"Hounddog" stirred up all sorts of controversy before it ever hit the screen because it cast fourteen year-old Dakota Fanning in a role that is sexually charged. As a result of certain people's outcry, North Carolina Senator Phil Berger insisted that all movies filmed in his home state would have to have their scripts read and approved beforehand.
Lewellen (Dakota Fanning) is a young girl living in the South during the birth of the Elvis Presley craze. Her father (David Morse) is a miserable fellow who enjoys periodically handing out physical punishment to his daughter and the other women that pass through his life. For the first third of "Hounddog" he reminds one of Doyle Hargraves (Dwight Yoakam) from "Sling Blade". Both are sadistic and treat the ones they "love" in a very unloving way. Everything abruptly changes when Lewellen's daddy is struck by lightning, turning his brain into a bunch of disconnected synapses and renders him a childlike, village idiot. This is good news for Lewellen. At least the abuse stops
Lewellen is an enormous fan of Elvis Presley, mimicking his singing and movements, at everyone's request. The big local news is that Elvis is coming to town to play a show and Lewellen is determined to nab a ticket so she can be discovered and leave her horrible existence behind and hit the road with Elvis. Unfortunately, her pockets have lint instead of cash. A young neighborhood boy, who has a crush on Lewellen, wants to get her an Elvis ticket so he can continue to obtain innocent kisses from her. Again unfortunately, his solution turns her life upside down, threatening to drive her insane.
Of course there is a shining knight who will ride to save this fair young damsel in distress. His method for breaking her out of her spell is so bad that it is painful to watch. It is an utterly pathetic scene of redemption and revitalization that feels so forced and unnatural that one can't help but squirming in their seat while watching Lewellen's rebirth.
Relative newcomer Deborah Kampmeier writes and directs, neither exceptionally well. Before "Hounddog" took a different track from "Sling Blade" it appeared to have a chance of being a good watch. Unfortunately, once the lightning strikes, everything shorts out and no electrician could save what is left of the charred remains.
