Movie Review: A Dog's Purpose

Please note: I wrote this review over a year ago and it was previously published in my university's newspaper, The ArkaTech. 

I am a cat person through and through. I like dogs well enough, but I never thought I wanted to watch a movie from a dog's perspective. The only reason I agreed to watch Lasse Halstrom's “A Dog's Purpose” (based off of W. Bruce Cameron's book of the same name) is because my canine-loving friend was having a bad day. I didn't want to enjoy the movie and I certainly didn't want to weep throughout seventy-five percent of it, but alas! My wants were irrelevant in that dark theater. Halstrom presents a maelstrom of feelings with this one, and, of course, adorable dogs.

As the title implies, “A Dog's Purpose” is about a dog named Bailey searching for his purpose in a large, confusing world. We get to see several of Bailey's lives—which means we get to see several of his deaths as well—and follow along as he serves loyally as each owner's side, with a delightful voice over to let us know what's going on inside Bailey's head.

It seems like a fairly simple story, and in some ways it is. I won't deny that this film has cliché and predictable moments, but that doesn't mean it is without complexities. For a large portion of the film, Bailey grows up alongside Ethan, a little boy who saves him from dying of dehydration in a hot vehicle. Bailey is Ethan's best friend; the two go everywhere together. As Ethan enters his teen years, his life becomes more complicated—with his family, with girls, and with sports—but Bailey loves him unconditionally. This is one of the most heart-warming friendships I've ever witnessed in film, and I became much more invested in it than I care to admit. When their time together comes to an end, I lost any composure I was maintaining. I couldn't collect myself, either. Each new death Bailey experienced tore me to pieces all over again.

As much as I loved Bailey's life with Ethan, I thoroughly enjoyed his other lives as well. We get to see a nice diverse cast of characters and lifestyles, from police drug dog to lonely girl's comfort animal. It was precious to see the different ways this dog affects the people he loves. Also, the variety of dogs were all just incredibly cute and worthy of many loving sighs.

While it's admittedly strange to go on a journey of self-discovery with a dog, Halstrom manages to make it poignant and insightful. I think it would be quite challenging not to be charmed by this movie—trust me, I tried. If, for whatever reason, you need a good cry, this is probably the film you want to turn to. I experienced a lot of emotions throughout, but I left the theater feeling genuinely joyful and satisfied.

4/5

Spring Favorites

Happy June, y'all! Obviously I didn't keep y'all very updated during the spring semester, so I figured I'd do a quick rundown of all my favorite things I stumbled upon over the past few months!

The (original) Selection trilogy by Kiera Cass - Admittedly, I didn't read very many novels during the semester, but I got the box set for my birthday and devoured these! So many people have said that these are basically their guilty pleasure reads, but I don't feel any shame. These were fun and I really enjoyed them!

Fun fact: This past semester I started writing movie reviews for my university's official newspaper (I even won a few awards from competitions). That said, I watched a lot more movies during the semester than usual, because I had to review one every week. These are just a few of my favorites!

Sing Street - At its core, "Sing Street" is a movie about a young boy in 1980's Dublin who starts a band to impress a girl. It's a premise done time and time again—but never like this. This film is an homage to the eighties and to music and to growing up.

The Impossible - "The Impossible" is the kind of movie that is difficult to talk about because I don't want to give anything away—I just want people to experience it! Quite frankly, I thought this movie would be boring. I did not expect the suspense, the honesty, and the emotion. There was not a single second of this movie when I was unengaged. I sincerely believe that anyone who takes the time to watch this movie will be affected by it.

A Dog's Purpose - While it's admittedly strange to go on a journey of self-discovery with a dog, Halstrom manages to make it poignant and insightful. I think it would be quite challenging not to be charmed by this movie—trust me, I tried. If, for whatever reason, you need a good cry, this is probably the film you want to turn to. I experienced a lot of emotions throughout, but I left the theater feeling genuinely joyful and satisfied.

The Magicians - My dudes...this show is dark and magical and fracklin intense! If you like AHS you'll probably love this! Great characters, intriguing setting and worldbuilding. Ugh. I'm obsessed.

Stranger Things - I was a lil late to the party. Everybody has seen this already, I know. And if you haven't--DO IT. I was tentative, but I adored the first season!

Girlboss - I was actually really surprised by this one! I just clicked on it without knowing what it was about and it hooked me in! It was really funny and interesting, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes.

My Polaroid camera - My sister got me this for Christmas, along with a cute little case and other fixins' to go along with it. I really love it! It's always fun to take these adorable photos with my friends. And trust me, polaroid pictures can make literally anyone look heckin flawless.

My mermaid blanket - My sister got me this for my birthday haha! It' so adorable and everyone is always jealous of me when they find out I have one because who wouldn't want to sit on their couch and just be a majestic mermaid?

My family photo - Okay, so my friend photoshopped this picture and framed it for my birthday, and it's one of my favorite presents of all time!! That's me and Tyler Joseph and MY CAT!!! Like, I'm obsessed. I am proudly displaying this on the shelf by my bed right meow.