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A Dog’s Purpose review: Dir. Lasse Hallström (2017)

A Dog’s Purpose review: Dennis Quaid, Bryce Gheisar and Josh Gad lead the cast of this pleasant and very uplifting family movie from accomplished filmmaker Lasse Hallström.

A Dog’s Purpose review by Paul Heath, May 2017.

A Dog's Purpose review

A Dog’s Purpose, which is actually based on the novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, who also co-writes the screenplay, is broken down into several chunks, each one narrated by Gad telling the story from the point of view of a different dog. The narrative covers the life of that dog from birth to death, and, once it dies, is reincarnated into a different breed, and sometimes different sex. The first, set sometime in the 1950s, follows golden retriever Bailey, a dog owned by an eight year old named Ethan and his family. The story spans the course of a decade until the teenage Ethan (K.J. Apa) moves away to college, and of course we see how that impacts the dog. From there, we go through the decades that follow, including the 70s where Bailey is reincarnated as a police do, to the 80s, where he becomes a she and meets Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Pooch Hall’s characters. Then it’s a couple of jumps to Quaid’s final segment where the story concludes in remarkable fashion.

So, this is all very nice and fluffy, but is the film any good? Well, essentially yes it is, and once you see that Amblin Entertainment logo at the start of the movie, you know what you’re in for, and that you’re probably in safe hands. Gad is excellent, his gentle vocal tones once again bringing so much to the picture, repeating the huge success and deserved praise he received as Olaf in Frozen all those years ago. The worries that one may picture the funny snowman as he narrates are instantly forgotten after the opening few scenes, the comedian carrying all of the narrative, keeping us interested all of the way through. His warming voice contributes to a lot of the emotion that runs through the story and yes, you will need tissues at many different points – we did. Dennis Quaid’s role is limited to a very small chunk of the film, which will become obvious as the film rolls on, but it’s a welcome return for the veteran, and an absolute joy to see him on screen in the family drama genre once again.

A Dog's Purpose review

A Dog’s Purpose is a little cliched in places, and a little predictable, but in a film of this nature none of that really matters. Often touching, always entertaining, the movie manages to hold your gaze and your firm attention all of the way through, and gives a very interesting insight into the mind, and the purposes of our furry four-legged friends.

A really lovely film.

A Dog’s Purpose review by Paul Heath, May 2017.

A Dog’s Purpose is released in UK cinemas on Friday 5th May, 2017.

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