A Dog’s Purpose
Bailey (Josh Gad: The Angry Birds Movie) is born a stray in a back alley. He’s caught, taken to the pound and euthanized. So begins the first of many lives of Bailey the dog.
His second time around, Bailey is luckier. He finds a boy, Ethan, (Bryce Gheisar: Walk the Prank) and lives a happy and wholesome life as his boy’s best friend. But eventually, Ethan moves away and Bailey gets old. When it’s time for Bailey to yet again shuck this mortal coil, Ethan comes home to say goodbye, offering Bailey one last reason to wag his tail.
Soon, Bailey is back again, this time as a police dog with a lonely handler.
Throughout each of his five lives, Bailey wonders what the point of life is. Why was he put on this planet? Why does he keep coming back? Most importantly, will he ever see Ethan again?
Expect your emotions to be manipulated in A Dog’s Purpose. Writing is poor and acting middling, but none of that matters because every scene is packed with cute puppies doing adorable things. You’ll see bright-eyed dogs panting; dogs grabbing stuff and running; dogs barking and wriggling. Every time the movie lulls, here comes a four-legged rescue. You’re even forced into weeping at seeing old dogs die.
You will be watching dogs die, each equally manipulative. It’s like signing up to watch the last 20 minutes of Marley and Me four times. This is not a movie to view without a packet of tissues.
Though you’ll cry, A Dog’s Purpose is oddly devoid of other emotional attachment. Director Lasse Hallström (The Hundred Foot Journey) beautifully captured the personality of the dog actors in the film. Humanity is often short-changed.
Performances reflect this slipshod attitude to storytelling. An ensemble that ranges from unknowns to veteran actors Dennis Quaid (Fortitude) and John Ortiz (Togetherness) varies from robotic to perfunctory. If all of their dialog were cut, there would be no great loss to plot. Maybe the human actors lost interest when it was clear a dog would be stealing all their scenes.