AJ Goes to the Dog Park (dir. Toby Jones)

By: Adam Freed

Godfather of transcendentalist thought, Henry David Thoreau famously believed that a life lived simply, is a life best lived.  Thoreau would’ve loved AJ, a minutely ambitious thirtysomething who requires very little to keep his emotional bucket full.  Amongst AJ’s meager needs is a pressure free career, someone with whom to share his dinner, his two beloved dogs and cherished trips to his local dog park.  Things are going all too swimmingly for the optimistic AJ until the lovable creature of habit realizes that his favorite dog park has been stripped away from the community, marking the embarkation point of the unlikely hero’s quest.   This is the simple yet effective premise behind writer and director Toby Jones’ absurdist comedy AJ Goes to the Dog Park.  The beauty of Jones’ light-hearted independent film is that it operates with metacognitive autonomy and is therefore free to be refreshingly and unapologetically itself.  AJ’s quest for dog park justice subtly speaks to the desires of many Americans to take on the establishment, and find a voice that is treated with dignity.

Tonally, AJ Goes to the Dog Park is akin to the meta sensibilities of the early works of New Zealander Taika Waititi. Featuring a story that unfolds as a series of comedic vignettes populated by an evolving cast of zany characters, watching AJ’s quest makes for a playfully fun evening.  The film’s third act sounds the millennial siren as it pays playful homage to The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a realization that will only endear audiences already in on the joke, closer to a film unconcerned with mass appeal. Beneath the ridiculous surface of Toby Jones’ film, there exists a thematic reminder that the world needs to slow down and not take itself quite so seriously.  AJ Goes to the Dog Park likely isn’t chasing broad audiences as its willingness to show the seams of its creation and lean into a meager budget as comedic fodder will likely be a polarizing force.  While the self-serious are likely to turn up their noses at AJ Goes to the Dog Park, those who appreciate the simplicity of its lowbrow sensibilities, are likely to realize they've stumbled upon an independent cult comedy classic.  

Target Score: 6.5/10  There is something liberating about witnessing Toby Jones’ independent comedy AJ Goes to the Dog Park.  The film understands exactly what it is, what it wants to be, and never offers a hint of apology for its absurd comedic optimism.