A Dog’s Journey movie review

MOVIE TITLE: A Dog’s Journey

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 48 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C+

IN A NUTSHELL:

We just had a dog movie, right? Yep. That one was called A Dog’s Way Home. This one is the sequel to A Dog’s Purpose. Confusing? Yep, a little bit.

If you loved A Dog’s Purpose, then you’ll like this one too. If you’ve seen that movie, then you’ve pretty much seen this one. Why the need for a sequel, then? Good question.

This movie was harder for me to watch than A Dog’s Purpose because my own family’s dog of 15 years recently died. I bawled for days. That’s the reason for this sequel. Dog lovers are just as loyal as dogs themselves, so this movie is a blatant attempt at squeezing more money and tears out of dog lovers.

All of the comments I made on my movie review of A Dog’s Purpose pretty much apply to this film as well.

All that being said, it’s still charming and will probably make you cry.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Your kids are going to want a dog.
It’s sad enough when a dog dies, but Baily dies over and over again. It’s sad every time.
Reincarnation is a big theme, obviously, in this movie. If you don’t believe in reincarnation, this entire movie will just seem totally bizarre to you. Well, maybe “transmigrate” is a better description of how the dog’s soul jumps into new bodies after it dies. The breeds are different and even the genders are different. Still bizarre, right? Good luck explaining that to your kids.
No profanity, which makes it family-friendly. That is if you can handle the sad death scenes.

THEMES:

“I know that my purpose is to love people.” – Bailey (Josh Gad)
“Things don’t always turn out as we plan, but sometimes the surprises are the best part.” – Bailey
Love
Family

THINGS I LIKED:

Josh Gad has such a likable voice, right?
Dennis Quaid has such a likable smile, right?
Bruce Cameron wrote the novel of the same name, as well as the screenplay.
Congratulations to director Gail Mancuso for making her big-screen debut in this A Dog’s Purpose movie, after directing sitcoms for a while.
It’s a bit of a coming-of-age movie about a young girl trying to find her way in the world. In that regard, it’s really HER journey and not the dog’s.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

A Dog’s Purpose is such a blatant cash grab that I feel a bit resentful, you know?
Characters in the movie are either really good or really bad with nothing in between.
Canine bodily functions. I guess they’re supposed to be hysterical, right?
The central plot is whether or not CJ will find the right man to love. Seriously?

INTERESTING LINES: