Three Belfast pals head south to win big money on a greyhound in “Man About Dog,” an amiable but rarely very funny road movie. Chockful of Oirish backtalk and rough humor — much of it unintelligible, due to the muddy soundtrack and strong accents — this plays rather like helmer Paddy Breathnach’s earlier pic, “I Go Down” (1997), but without the violence. A hit in Ireland since its Oct. 1 release, grossing some $1.3 million, film looks too small and local to make much impression on U.K. tracks with early November release.
After screwing over a crooked bookie, J.P. McCallion (Sean McGinley), at a greyhound meet, young chancers Mo Chara (Allen Leech), Scud (Ciaran Nolan) and Paulsy (Tom Murphy) are threatened with permanent extinction unless they pay McCallion back the $80,000 he lost. Fleeing across the border to Ireland in hopes of making serious money on a greyhound they’ve acquired, the trio finds said mutt is better at hare coursing than straight running, requiring several changes of plans with McCallion (plus others they’ve cheated) on their trail. Leech makes a charismatic narrator-cum-lead; tech credits are basic.
