If Baha Men’s 2000’s chart-topper still makes you tap your toes, man, are you ever in for a treat.

While I was initially skeptical about whether the copyright of Who Let The Dogs Out? was something I cared about, the passion of documentary subject and song aficionado Ben Sisto reeled me in.

Throw in a Haligonian producer in Aly Kelly, and I decided to give this one a try. Boy, did I ever get more than I bargained for, in the best possible way.

This flick was an official selection of SXSW 2019 and Hot Docs 2019, and the stylish direction by Brent Hodge and snappy writing by Sisto lead to one of my big surprises of the festival.

As Sisto traverses through more than a decade of old tracks, labels and artists who claim they coined the hook “Who Let The Dogs Out?”, it’s a fascinating exploration of one of the most-played songs of the millennium.

While at a point midway through, it becomes a bit convoluted and we’re given too many faces, backgrounds and copyright battles to deal with, the film manages to stay grounded due to Sisto’s persistence and his sheer love of the topic.

I can’t say I have an answer after watching this film, but that Baha Men song has been stuck in my head for three days, and the film was one heck of a time.

It’s going to be hard to forget this doc, and that was, hopefully, its intention.

4/5 Stars