Before I get into my review of A Dog’s Purpose, I want to address the elephant in the room. At this point, we’ve all seen the video that was first released by TMZ that showed a clearly frightened dog on set being essentially forced into churning water for the sake of a scene. After various forms of backlash, many excuses have been given as to why this happened and while there really is no excuse for this to happen, I think some time has allowed things to settle a bit and be able to view the film based on its merits that are completely separate from this event.
There was a bit of a back and forth about should we review the film and how does it look if we actually like it enough to recommend it. This was a discussion that took place almost as soon as the video was made public but in the end, this is a movie review website and we are in the business of helping you decide what you should and shouldn’t see.
I’m surprising myself a bit here but I’m actually recommending A Dog’s Purpose. On the one hand, it’s completely manipulative in the way it tugs at the heartstrings of anyone who has even the most basic love of dogs but on the other hand, its heart is completely in the right place. The whole time I was watching the film I was reminded of films from my childhood that we really don’t see anymore. It has old school sensibilities and while it’s not a perfect film, it does the job it sets out to do and that’s reminding the audience how strong a bond can be between a pet and their owners.
The film actually begins with a risky but effectively bold move. It introduces us to a cute newborn litter of puppies, has one quickly grow up, and then whisked off to the pound and euthanized. It’s a pretty jarring start but parents need not worry about seeing anything graphic. The event is handled with care but the emotion of the situation is bound to get an emotional reaction from the audience. This isn’t the end, however. As we learn from the very reassuring voice of Josh Gad, he is that dog and he reincarnates every time he dies.
He first comes back as Bailey, a dog rescued by the mother of a young boy named Ethan (Bryce Gheisar, and later K.J. Apa) in 1962. The human characters in this story are merely types and serve the purpose of making Bailey even more adorable by how he views them. We get a lot of cheesy POV shots from the dog’s perspective as he learns about basic human behavior (I say cheesy but it’s actually pretty darn cute). He doesn’t really understand the world but he has how own way of thinking – a donkey is a “horse dog” and seeing two teenagers make-out makes him think “teens making out must be looking for food in each other’s mouths”.
Ethan grows from a happy kid reading Captain America comics to a bitter young man who has to give up a football scholarship due to injury, and while he’s away at agricultural school Bailey succumbs to old age. Once again, this isn’t the end for the dog with many laughs. This begins another series of reincarnations, which include being a K9 partner for a widowed cop and the pet of a white trash couple who clearly are in need of our four legged narrator’s love and affection. It’s clear that a dog’s purpose is to bring people together and while the subject is very heavy handed and obvious, I couldn’t ignore that it still quite poignant and effective.
I’ve never read the book by W. Bruce Cameron of the same name so I will say that one thing that actually surprised and touched me was the ending. I won’t give it away in the review but director Lasse Hallstrom and his writers got me in a big way with how everything basically came full circle. I know it wasn’t some huge twist but it’s a very effective conclusion and you’d have to have a heart made a stone to not be moved by it.
While the human actors are quite reliable in their roles, this is clearly a dog’s show and Josh Gad, who is becoming a true voiceover talent, does a good job of giving each incarnation of the dogs a vibrant personality and most importantly, he makes you feel safe. He gives them heart on top of the fact that all the dogs are shot in a way that you can’t help but fall in love with them.
This movie won’t be for everyone. I know many who hate films that have no shame in regards to tugging on your emotions and that’s something that’s on full display here. There is also the issue of the video and the feelings brought up by it. I’m definitely not a supporter of what went on in that video but I can support the heart of the film itself. It’s a completely harmless movie that has the best intentions when it comes down to it. I didn’t expect much but by the end, I found myself moved by its message of love and loyalty between us and our dogs.
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