Here is another fact about yours truly: I am an animal lover, especially dogs. Growing up, we always had a dog, usually had a collie and at one time we had a blue merle. Due to my current living situation and schedule, I don’t have a dog, but if I could I would get a rescue dog, due to my passion for animals. So, when Hollywood brings us movies about pets, you know I will be first in line.
“A Dog’s Purpose” is the new film directed by Lasse Hallstrom (Safe Haven, The Hypnotist). Starring the voice of Josh Gad (Frozen, 21), along with Dennis Quaid (Frequency, Pandorum), Peggy Lipton (The Postman, Mob Squad), K. J. Apa (Rieverdale, Shortland Street), Bryce Gheisar (Dream Chasers, The Bus Stop). Juliet Rylance (The Knick, Sinister) and Luke Kirby (Shattered Glass, The Samaritan), it is the story of Bailey, a dog’s spirit that passes on from one lifetime to another and the owners he (and even she) encounters.
The look of the film is good, with the lighting and the sets enhancing the film at each of those special moments. There are only a few major characters played Quaid, Apa, John Ortiz, and Gheisar, who all did a fine job, but the big star has to be the dogs. There were a lot of stories told in this film with a new breed of dog each time, and all of the dogs were trained well and did as well as if they were human actors. I have to give shout out to Gad whose voice narrative of the dogs complimented the film well really making a difference.
There have been a few films through the years that had several stories that in some way had a connection to the others, and this film did it in a really good way, hitting all of the right emotions at the right time from laughter to tears and even a bit of anger without being preachy as a platform for animal rights issues. It simply shows the story of life through a dog’s perspective. I truly could not find anything wrong with this film, which appeals to people of all ages. This film without a doubt will get the coveted recommendation of full price in the theaters.