A Dog’s Purpose –3.5 Gavels 33% Rotten Tomatoes

A Dog’s Purpose should come with two required government warnings.  Caution: Do not see this movie with young children — unless you want to buy them a dog!     OR     Caution:  Do not see this movie while eating candy —  too much sweetness may cause diabetes.

Lately, this movie had a lot of publicity for all the wrong reasons.
Was a dog mishandled?  After seeing the churning water, I can see why the dog was hesitant to jump in.  Apparently, the dog was smarter than his owner.  Also, some have lamented that young children may not understand why the dog dies seven times.

Absent those concerns, this is a great kids movie. Josh Gad as the voice of the dogs was a superb choice.  And, of course, the dogs have all the best lines.  The movie explores a dog’s purpose over several dog lifetimes with several different owners.  Very cute concept and adults will also like it as evidenced by the Flixter User Score of 71%..

Dennis Quaid is the adult owner of Bailey, Bailey, Bailey, Bailey.  He can play the gruff old man with the boyish grin in his sleep.  Britt Robertson was fine as the young girlfriend of Bailey’s first owner. But, the actors were mere props for the various dogs; they were all wonderful.

Should you spend your money on this movie?  It’s much better than Lifetime or the Hallmark Channel movies.  I say “Yes!”  This is a feel good movie and will snap you out of the winter doldrums.  Just realize that it is not in the caliber of Sing Street or Hunt for the Wilderpeople.  Those will really make your day!