A Dog’s Journey (2019) Universal/Comedy-Drama RT: 108 minutes Rated PG (thematic content, some peril, rude humor) Director: Gail Mancuso Screenplay: W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky Music: Mark Isham Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers Release date: May 17, 2019 (US) Cast: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, Kathryn Prescott, Betty Gilpin, Henry Lau, Abby Ryder Fortson, Ian Chen, Emma Volk, Jake Manley, Daniela Barbosa, Conrad Coates, Arlene Duncan, Kevin Claydon. Box Office: $22.7M (US)/$75.6M (World)
Rating: *** ½
Dog lovers, be ready to go through a lot of tissues when watching A Dog’s Journey, a sequel to 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose in which a dog named Bailey spent many lives trying to reunite with his original owner. You see, both movies follow the Buddhist philosophy that each time a dog dies, its soul reincarnates and searches for his/her original owner through eternity. It’s a beautiful thought, isn’t it? Such is the premise that A Dog’s Journey is built upon.
It opens on the same Midwestern farm where Bailey (voice of Josh Gad again), a beautiful St. Bernard/Australian Shepherd mix, found his owner Ethan (Quaid) and reunited him with his high school girlfriend/first love Hannah (Helgenberger, CSI). Also living on the farm is their widowed daughter-in-law Gloria (Gilpin, Isn’t it Romantic) and baby granddaughter CJ (Volk). Gloria is a bitter, angry alcoholic who neglects her daughter and resents her parents-in-law for trying to help. One day, she takes CJ and leaves after accusing Ethan and Hannah to trying to take her child away from her. When Bailey later dies of cancer, Ethan asks him to come back, find CJ and look after her. He loved CJ with all his big doggie heart so he fulfills his promise several times over.
Bailey comes back as a beagle named Molly and finds 11-year-old CJ (Fortson, Ant-Man) living in Illinois with her still-neglectful, still-alcoholic mother. Molly gives CJ the love, support and protection denied to her by her mom. Time and time again, Bailey returns to the world to find CJ and keep her safe. First as an African Boerboel named Big Dog then as an adorable little terrier named Max. As Max (a girl no less!), she finds CJ (Prescott, Polaroid) living in New York trying to make it as a singer-songwriter. Her life is marked by a series of menial jobs and crummy boyfriends including a stalker (Manley, TV’s The Order) responsible for Molly’s death. Things change when Max comes scampering into her life as fast as his little legs can carry him. He gets things started by reuniting her with her childhood bff Trent (K-pop singer Lau) who, coincidentally, has just moved into the same building as CJ and her soon-to-be ex. Max gets CJ through a crisis or two before the inevitable happy ending.
I’m not ashamed to admit I cried a bit during A Dog’s Journey. Surprise, Movie Guy 24/7 is a sentimental softie when it comes to dog stories that aren’t Show Dogs. This movie is sweet despite dealing with some heavy issues- e.g. alcoholism, child abuse/neglect, terminal illness and stalking. It’s probably not for really small children, but it should be fine for the over-7 crowd. But even with all the tragedy in A Dog’s Journey, including the canine hero dying several times, it’s a nice movie about the loyalty and unconditional love granted by dogs to their humans. Watching Quaid’s character interact with Bailey in the beginning is one of the movie’s high points. I guess it’s true that old men are boys at heart. The idea of an old man and a dog being best friends is a happy thought.
Okay, A Dog’s Journey isn’t perfect. The acting and screenplay aren’t exactly Oscar material. A few of the supporting characters, like Trent’s gold-digging girlfriend and CJ’s arrogant New York boyfriend, are fairly one-dimensional. Thankfully, they’re not around long enough for anybody to care. Gloria is painted in an especially bad light. She is literally one of the worst mothers in the world. The way she treats CJ is horrible. The movie makes you really hate her which makes her later attempts to reconcile with her daughter hard to accept. I also don’t like that we’re never told what happened to the stalker after he nearly kills CJ (and does kill her dog). But I’m nitpicking here.
None of this movie’s relatively minor flaws matter in the least. In the end, A Dog’s Journey works. Director Gail Mancuso, a TV director (Modern Family, Roseanne) making her theatrical debut, hits all the right emotional buttons. There are some beautiful moments in this film especially the final scene. As a dog lover, it tore up seeing dogs die, but they always came back as other dogs so it was fine. As I write this, I’m looking at my own little fur baby Duchess and wondering who she was in her previous lives. The way she “sings” reminds me of my beagle-German shepherd mix Ginger. Isn’t it funny that A Dog’s Journey opens on the same weekend as the new John Wick movie? Talk about a weekend going to the dogs, right? ANYWAY, I highly recommend A Dog’s Journey for anyone that loves dogs. It’s a real tearjerker so be sure to bring a lot of Kleenex.
