★★★★☆
A Dog’s Purpose showed up from my GameFly rental list a week or two ago. I put off watching it because I knew it was going to be a happy-sad movie. If you’ve ever owned and loved a dog, watch this movie. You will laugh, you will chuckle, and you will cry like a little girl. Not necessarily in that order but definitely more than once for all of them.
Even people who don’t care much for dogs will watch A Dog’s Purpose and come away with a new found hatred of life’s true assholes who keep dogs tied up outside in a yard. It will also be hard for them to believe any other animal could possess more love and loyalty than a dog.
It’s difficult to provide a meaningful review of this movie. It’s one of those rare gems which will be a different movie for each person who watches it, even cat owners. The number of lives this dog had, coming back as different breeds and bonding with different humans really broadens its appeal. The movie does a fantastic job of dealing with that most painful decision and the final trip to a vet’s office.
One of the simple, yet truly astounding vehicles of this movie is having the dog remember things from life to life. And that, it turns out, is the secret behind the joy of this film. To a dog you are never forgotten. Always part of the pack.
It’s okay for grown men to cry during this one. Worry about the ones that don’t.
For more movie rental ideas please see list one and list two.