A Dog's Purpose

Review by Jouni Pohjola

A Dog's Purpose is a generally not very well reviewed, sentimental drama comedy for more or less the whole family (there are a couple of somewhat violent and/or scary moments but not too many), telling a story of a reincarnating dog. While it avoids the very worst tear-jerking sugariness and overt anthropomorphizing of the canine protagonist – both thanks to Josh Gad's delivery of gently humorous inner dialog going on in dog's mind – it's still more a miss than a hit... Apart from the obvious fact that a significant portion of the film is devoted to following the dog's incarnation as a Pembroke Welsh Corgi.

In that sequence specifically, Tino the Corgi is adopted from what looks to be a flea market box by a lonely, melancholy student named Maya. Since the story is told from the dog's point of view, it remains unclear why Maya is so afraid of relationships but the dog begins to ponder that maybe his purpose is to help her find happiness (there are several conclusions in the movie as to what ”a dog's purpose” is at any given time). As unfortunately often happens in real life, Maya pampers Tino with too many treats such as pizza and ice cream and apparently causes him some unspecified health problems. After getting a talking-to by a veterinarian ("What's with these white-coat people sticking me with sharp things?", the dog wonders), Maya takes Tino to a dog park where by happenstance, he sets his eye on a Landseer bitch named Roxie^* belonging to Maya's classmate Al. The humans eventually fall in love as well (though it remains unclear if Roxie in fact cares for Tino at all). After many happy years of living with Maya, Al and their three children, Tino suffers a heartbreak as Roxie is put down: he never ceases to wait for her to come back. Eventually, Tino too grows old and frail and finally, one day when Maya pets him and asks if he wants to have pizza he responds with ”I think I'm ready... One of my best lives really” and passes on to his next (and in the movie, final) life.

All things considered, A Dog's Purpose is not so formulaic, calculating or just downright bad as some reviews are making it out to be, but it's hardly the high point of director Lasse Hallström's career nor yet his best dog-related movie either. While admittedly biased, I think the Corgi sequence has a good many of the movie's best moments in it. It's sentimental, sure, but not as saccharine as some parts at the beginning and end. The humour in the part is a bit predictably often the expense of the breed but it still keeps things from getting too sappy.

So my final verdict is: watch it for the Corgi content if you don't get too emotional about dogs passing away or bothered by the central conceit of rebirths, but don't expect to be awed by its cinematic art brilliance.

^*) my oldest Cardigan Kamu also had similar tastes as he was in love with his breeder's Greater Swiss Mountain Dog (both are now dearly departed); also of note is that though he normally didn't watch television, he got quite interested in the movie at the point where Tino came on – yet further evidence that Corgis recognize other Corgis specifically

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Review added March 31, 2018