It is described as an adult fairy tale and that is true provided you understand it as the traditional definition of fairy tale. Anyway, that's what drew me in and I spent the first twenty minutes utterly bemused and the rest of the film completely transfixed. Toward the end of the movie I caught myself leaning in off my seat so as to not miss the end of the telling.Dean Spanley is funny, charming, bizarre and uplifting. An extraordinary collection of characters, perfectly portrayed with great acting are brought together in this delightful story.It's best watched with no idea of what's coming. So I'm not giving anything away. Who won't like this? Maybe cat ladies, sheep herders and anyone else who doesn't know the rules. Oh; and bunny rabbits, don't watch this if you are a bunny rabbit.

I don't assign many films a "10" as such should be awarded only the truly great ones that come around a few times a decade; e.g., CITIZEN KANE, THE GODFATHER, MIDNIGHT COWBOY, etc. But DEAN SPANLEY is so emotionally enjoyable (at the same time avoiding the "deep" movie genre) that it must be given something to distinguish it from the tearjerker weepy slop that shamelessly tug at one's heart stings; e.g., TERMS OF ENDEARMENT, DRIVING MISS DAISY, MOONSTRUCK, etc. True, the first half of DS not only gives no indication whatsoever of where it is headed but appears intentionally disparate in approach. For such reason a viewer might almost lose interest - as I came close to doing. But the character performances, Neil and O'Toole in particular - mildly comic - eventually turn captivating. Like other COMMENTERs herein, given commercial concerns and what passes for entertainment these day, I'm amazed that this film even got made. I'd forgotten that a movie could do something for me like DS did. Imagine a film being both reverent and irreverent at the same time. The result is relevance. And marvelous. I gush. Watch the movie.

Dean Spanley is certainly among the most delightful and subtle films I've seen for a long time. It is an unpretentious labour of love, a co-production of New Zealand and Britain, made partly with lottery money. Apart from being, in an entirely unsentimental way, the most interesting film about man and dogs, it is also brilliantly shot, wonderfully acted, and entirely lacking in all the ingredients a focus group or a big studio would demand. No heroics, indeed no hero; no sex; no violence; and no real drama. It has, instead, a wry humour, much deep imagination, and a series of fine performances by Sam Neill, Peter O'Toole, Bryan Brown, Jeremy Northam and the consistently wonderful Judy Parfitt. It has a great cameo by Dudley Sutton as well. It isn't a wonderful earth shatteringly important masterpiece in world cinema but it merits a burst of enthusiasm for its celebration of wit, humour, and the sadness all of us have to bear. The story comes from the short novel by Lord Dunsany, an odd writer who I admire. A widower (Peter O'Toole) cannot come to terms with his elder son's death in the Boer war and the subsequent demise of his wife. The question of dogs being reincarnated as humans arises over the consumption of a rare imperial Tokay. Richly atmospheric, this is a profound gem.

For dog lovers a particular delight (cats get fairly short shrift!) and for those who aren't dog lovers in particular, a pleasant, interesting and gentle journey with some favourite, but frequently under-rated, actors. It's always a pleasure to know long-time favourites - Peter O'Toole and Judy Parfitt - are still busy filling roles that seem made for them. Northam, Neill, Brown and Malik round out a well-balanced cast and are convincing and articulate in excellent Edwardian fashion. This works as well as a fairy tale for those who take the film with a large pinch of salt as, one assumes, it does for those who are believers in such fairy tales. Either way, a charming film, not flashy, not big- budget, not likely to turn up at a box-office near you but a delight nevertheless.