In director Paul Duran’s The Dogwalker, the central character, Jerry Cooper, begins the story as a romanticized loser in the classic screen mould. He lives out of his immobile (but cool) Oldsmobile sedan. He alternates between two wrinkled (but otherwise sharp) suits. And he can’t (and doesn’t want to) hold on to his waterbed sales job.

As a cool screen loser, Jerry Cooper is on par with Paul Newman’s character in The Hustler. On par with Paul Newman’s character in Harper. Paul Newman’s character in... well, you get the idea.

At least, that’s how the character was written. Jerry Cooper suffers a bit on the screen from the portrayal by Will Stewart, who – while reasonably likeable – just seems a little young and without enough to lose. He’s handsome, far from middle-aged, and could bounce back even if the events portrayed in The Dogwalker didn’t work out for him. Blame it on Hollywood’s current penchant for casting young, good-looking actors, no matter the cost to the film. (In the 1970s, this type of wash-up part would go to a middle-aged Warren Oates, James Garner, or Elliot Gould, and they would wearily play it to perfection.)

But Jerry Cooper is soon thrust from his loser’s lifestyle into an upper-middle class existence. After he helps an elderly woman (Carol Gustafson) whoops been knocked down by her gargantuan Bull Mastiff, he becomes salaried as her live-in attendant and dogwalker. Jerry invites his friends – three “urban” types – into this comfortable existence, and the surprising bond that results between oldsters and street people is the sweetest and most humorous part of the film.

There are complications, though. The elderly dog owner has a married realtor for a daughter and a teenaged “bad girl” for a granddaughter, both of whom want to get into naughty trouble with Jerry. And there’s irresponsible hard drug use. And there are multiple deaths.

The Dogwalker boasts a performance from veteran supporting player Allan Rich (perhaps the heir to the throne of late character actor Martin Balsam) as one of the geezers, and a cool score by upright bassist and composer Joey Altruda (who even provides a xylophone version of  “Harlem Nocturne”)