A Dog's Purpose

A DOG'S PURPOSE

Director : Lasse Halstrom
Year : 2017
Genre : Drama
Rating : *

Rather upsettingly, it turns out that Don Bluth was incorrect when he optimistically claimed in the title of his 1989 animated classic that 'All Dogs Go To Heaven'. That is at least according to 'A Dog's Purpose', the latest canine-themed film from director and self-confessed animal lover Lasse Halstrom who has made quite a name for himself in the art of making audiences cry. 

However unlike his previous mutt-movie - the rather lovely 'Hachi : A Dog's Tale' - this one is a cynically minded, shamelessly manipulative and tonally skewed dog's dinner and one that stands as one of, if not the most unpleasant viewing experiences of the year so far - an aspect that is certainly not helped by the constant voiceover work by Olaf the Snowman himself Josh Gad whose unbearably shrill tones are akin to the sound of a thousand nails on the scratchiest of chalkboards.

Throughout this 100 minute film, Gad lends his "distinct" vocal cords to 5 different doggies, all of whom are reincarnations of the previous one and who all suffer some form of existential crisis. Stretched across a number of decades, we follow the regular goings-on and ultimately the deaths of the many pooches which range from a feral puppy whose short, miserable life takes up approximately 3 minutes of the film to a loyal Golden Retriever named Bailey around whom a large majority of 'A Dog's Purpose' revolves. Meanwhile, talented actors like Britt Robertson, John Ortiz, Peggy Lipton and Dennis Quaid show up in a vain attempt to validate a cinema release for what is so clearly a made for TV Hallmark movie.

If you enjoyed the sappy mentality of David Mankel's 2008 tear-em-up 'Marley & Me', then you are probably going to enjoy 'A Dog's Purpose'. It's cute, it's whimsical and it certainly knows how to milk the emotion out of showing a sick or injured dog making its way to the great big kennel in the sky. However, if like me you found 'Marley & Me' to be an odious piece of emotionally disingenuous claptrap, then you'll want to avoid 'A Dog's Purpose' like a freshly laid turd. It is a cruel and downright unpleasant viewing experience that like its many four legged stars, should just be put to sleep. In other words, you'd be barking mad to watch it. Dog pun.

NB. Much criticism has been lobbied towards 'A Dog's Purpose' in the wake of a video released by entertainment sludge-bucket TMZ which reportedly shows a German Shepherd being mistreated on the set of the film. However, having seen the footage myself, it is very clear that no animal was harmed during the making of 'A Dog's Purpose'.