☆☆☆½
A Dog's Purpose was a treacly, sentimental Hallmark card of a movie that grossed $205 million worldwide in 2017, guaranteeing a sequel. And that's what we've got. A Dog's Journey is essentially the exact same movie, like one of those interchangeable cable Christmas movies. And that suits me just fine.
A Dog's Journey is every bit as manufactured, glossy, simplistic and effective as its predecessor. It practically shames you into enjoying it. But if A Dog's Journey doesn't in fact wring a few tears out of your eyes (stop rolling them!), you're inhuman or, worse, a cat person.
Dennis Quaid, who sort of starred in the first movie, is back to provide the connective tissue as Ethan, the boy-man who "belongs" to a dog named Bailey. In the first film, Bailey gets adopted by Ethan as a boy, grows up with him, then dies, is reincarnated, dies again, gets reincarnated again, and over and over until he winds up with Ethan once again, proving that even death can't separate a boy and his dog.
This time around exactly the same thing happens, except it's a girl -- Ethan's granddaughter (played with perfect generic blandness by Kathryn Prescott). Things get pretty tough to watch for a while as Bailey keeps, well, dying.
This is an attack dog of a movie that knows exactly where to aim to inflict maximum damage, and refuses to let go. It's so damned cute you won't care.
Death by puppies. Could be a lot worse.
Viewed May 13, 2019 -- ArcLight Hollywood
1900
A Dog's Journey is every bit as manufactured, glossy, simplistic and effective as its predecessor. It practically shames you into enjoying it. But if A Dog's Journey doesn't in fact wring a few tears out of your eyes (stop rolling them!), you're inhuman or, worse, a cat person.
Dennis Quaid, who sort of starred in the first movie, is back to provide the connective tissue as Ethan, the boy-man who "belongs" to a dog named Bailey. In the first film, Bailey gets adopted by Ethan as a boy, grows up with him, then dies, is reincarnated, dies again, gets reincarnated again, and over and over until he winds up with Ethan once again, proving that even death can't separate a boy and his dog.
This time around exactly the same thing happens, except it's a girl -- Ethan's granddaughter (played with perfect generic blandness by Kathryn Prescott). Things get pretty tough to watch for a while as Bailey keeps, well, dying.
This is an attack dog of a movie that knows exactly where to aim to inflict maximum damage, and refuses to let go. It's so damned cute you won't care.
Death by puppies. Could be a lot worse.
Viewed May 13, 2019 -- ArcLight Hollywood
1900
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