Review of A Dog's Journey

Added by Kaleidoscope Film Review Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars

A Worthy Sequel to "A Dog's Purpose"

Kaleidoscope's newest is on DreamWorks, Walden Media's, & Amblin Entertainment's production of "A Dog's Journey".  Directed by Gail Mancuso, the movie stars Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Marg Helgenberger, Kathryn Prescott, Betty Gilpin, & Henry Lau.  Rated 'PG', it has a running time of 1 hr., 49 min.

Bailey (Gad) has continued to live a happy life with Ethan (Quaid) & Hannah (Helgenberger) on their farm.  Also residing with them are both Gloria (Gilpin) and, with Hannah's son, Henry, had a girl Clarity Jane, aka CJ. (Prescott).  Sadly, before CJ's birth, Henry died in a car accident.  This has left Gloria sad & angry at being left alone with a child before her life had had a chance to begin.  One day, Gloria--who has always been fearful that Ethan & Hannah did not approve of her as a mother--gets into a big argument with them.  She takes CJ, leaves the house with their belongings, & vows not only to never return, but to never tell Ethan & Hannah where she & CJ have moved.  The remainder of Act I depicts the day that Ethan discovers a tumor in Bailey.  With the vet's advice that they euthanize Bailey, Ethan tearfully does this.  The act concludes with a departed Bailey romping through a serene meadow, heading toward CJ.  Act II presents Bailey reincarnated first as Molly, a female Beagle, & then as Big Dog, a Mastiff.  Act III portrays Bailey reincarnated into a Yorkshire Terrier named Max & his re-encounter with an adult CJ.

Mancuso has crafted a routine tearjerker that, with the aid of Maya Forbes's, Cathryn Michon's, Wallace Wolodarsky's, & W. Bruce Cameron's (author of the novel) screenplay, manipulates all of the requisite emotional touchstones of a dog/human feature.  But, whether it be "Marley and Me', "A Dog's Purpose", or "Journey", I have to admit that I am a sucker for these types of stories.  While my rating of '7' relates to the film's craftsmanship, I loved the experience seeing it with my wife & 2 granddaughters.  We all went through more than a few tissues at many, many moments.  The novelty of the picture, of course, is its conceit of a dog experiencing numerous iterations & our ability to hear his thoughts.  With a critical eye, however, this is really just a better created Hallmark or Lifetime presentation that would have fit in nicely on either network.  The acting is fine throughout.  Gad & Quaid reprise their roles as Bailey (& his other iterations) and Ethan.  They are both very comfortable in their guises.  Gad's voice is perfectly cast as Bailey's, et al.  The childlike quality of his vocals is well matched to the various canines'.  Quaid is properly sympathetic as we view him in his arc from maturity through old age.  Helgenberger is a good successor to Peggy Lipton's former Hannah in "Purpose".  With Lipton's recent death, one can surmise that she was probably too ill to film the sequel.  Prescott is excellent as CJ.  Her interactions with Bailey/Max, her mom, & the love of her life Trent (Lau) is completely believable.  Gilpin is too one-note through most of the film, although she makes a nice 180 in the final act.  Lau convincingly portrays how he has sublimated his unrequited love for CJ that courses through most of the movie.  Mark Isham's at times plaintive, at times soaring score is well matched to the various characters' emotions.  Rogier Stoffers's cinematography is average yet well-suited to the film's various arcs.

I give "A Dog's Journey" 7 out of 10 nuggets.  As a creative endeavor, it is unexceptional throughout.  But if you are a 'soft touch' for a child turned adult/dog movie, you will probably love this experience.  If you are the latter, trot, gallop, sprint, or hurtle to your nearest cineplex----and, bring a box of Kleenex with you!

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