Dogs: The Rise and Fall of an All-Girl Bookie Joint

Four twenty-something women, crammed into a small Manhattan apartment, have dead end jobs (or no job) and overdue rent. They discover cash and self esteem when they set up an illegal bookie joint in their kitchen. Suddenly they can pay their bills; they imagine joining the middle class; they even make corporate donations to charity. The film also explores their relationships with men, most of whom are unfit for anything lasting, and with their mothers, who appear in surreal, imagined conversations with their daughters.

Directed by Eve Annenberg, Dogs: The Rise and Fall of an All-Girl Bookie Joint leans on a strong ensemble — Pam Columbus, Pamela Gray, Melody Beal — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about comedy titles of 1997.