My Dog Skip (2000)

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Love the Hard Way

Film.com's FREE movie of the week is "Love the Hard Way." Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Charlotte Ayanna star in this drama about a thief who falls for a curious, beautiful young woman. As their intimacy grows, a slick cop (Pam Greer) is closing in.

CinemaSource

Rating: PG

Release Date: Mar 3, 2000

Running Time: 95 mins. (V)

Country Of Origin: United States

starring: Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Harry Connick, Jr, Mark Beech, Susan Carol Davis, David Pickens, Bradley Coryell, Daylan Honeycutt

director: Jay Russell

Based on the true-life story of 9-year-old Willie Morris and his dog Skip, growing up in a small Mississippi town during World War II. Willie and his remote and overprotective father don't get along, but when an irresistable Jack Russell Terrier enters the picture, important lessons about love, loyalty and the special bonds bewteen father and son are learned.

The term ''coming of age'' in films is often associated with first love, first war, first kiss -- even first roll in the hay. For Willie Morris, it was his first dog. And when Morris did come of age, he wrote a memoir of his experience titled ''My Dog Skip,'' which has been adapted into a sweet, quiet film about growing up.

The story set during World War II revolves around young Willie (Frankie Muniz), a shy, book-reading loner in Yazoo, Miss. Eight years old, Willie is an only child with no…