Review:
"A Dog's Journey"
Release Date: May 17, 2019
Rating: PG Running Time: 108 minutes Behind the sunny deposition on display in 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose and its new sequel A Dog’s Journey is an acute willingness to explore dark subject matters without talking down to its young audience. Based on the novels by W. Bruce Cameron, this pair of family films employs its cute canine antagonist to bring attention to important social issues to preteens and prompt conversations between parent and child. Yes, A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journey are occasionally overly sentimental and embrace poop jokes with giddiness. But neither film is afraid to address parental neglect, alcoholism, violence against women, homelessness, and death as it delves deep into the relationship between a dog and its owner. More important, A Dog’s Purpose and A Dog’s Journeygracefully work such everyday concerns into their plots as opposed to using them unjustifiably as obstacles for their human characters to jump over. As with A Dog’s Purpose, A Dog’s Journeyfocuses on the many lives of the dutiful dog that belongs to Dennis Quaid’s Ethan Montgomery and is voiced via narration with infectious enthusiasm by Josh Gad. Born as Golden Retriever Toby, and eventually reincarnated as the St. Bernard/Australian Shepherd Bailey, the dog discovers his purpose is to remain at Ethan’s side during the good times and to help him navigate the bad times. A Dog’s Journeyopens with Ethan commanding a dying Bailey to protect his wife Hannah’s toddler granddaughter CJ if Bailey once again reincarnated. (Marg Helgenberger replaces A Dog’s Purpose’s Peggy Lipton as Hannah.) Bailey returns as Molly, a Beaglier who finds her way into CJ’s life. CJ—played with grit and determination by both Abby Ryder Fortson at age 11 and by Skins’ Kathryn Prescott as a teenager—experiences a difficult relationship with her mother Gloria, the young widow of Hannah’s son Henry. Henry’s death has left Gloria bitter, hostile, and unprepared for parenthood, which manifests itself in the emotional abuse she heaps upon CJ. A Dog’s Journey adeptly positions Molly as an invaluable coping mechanism for CJ. No matter what happens, Molly—later reincarnated as Max, an adorable Yorkie—is there for CJ. And CJ goes through a lot in A Dog’s Journey, from dealing with her stalker ex-boyfriend to experiencing homelessness in New York City.Veteran TV director Gail Mancuso—replacing A Dog’s Purpose’s Lasse Hallström—pulls no punches in her depiction of the dysfunctional relationship between CJ and heavy drinker Gloria, whom Betty Gilpin presents as both intentionally hurtful and emotionally crippled by grief. Working from a script co-written by author W. Bruce Cameron, Mancuso immediately draws us into CJ’s plight. CJ’s a bright, ambitious kid with her own issues to work through, and A Dog’s Journey knows when to nudge Molly into action and when to let CJ resolve matters on her own. A Dog’s Journey, as with A Dog’s Purpose, offers a romantic subplot, this one driven by unrequited love involving CJ’s best friend Trent (played with inherent sweetness by Henry Lau). Of course, it all comes down to Max whether CJ and Trent finally get together years after they first meet. What A Dog’s Journey does best is to integrate Molly—then Max—into CJ’s life. A Dog’s Journey doesn’t define CJ by her relationship with her loyal companion but instead seeks to show how an animal can be a positive instrument of change in a person’s life. Molly is CJ’s best friend. And that’s all you can ask for from a dog. Robert Sims Aired: May 16, 2019 Web site: https://www.adogsjourneymovie.com |
|