Despite the Controversy, ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ Manages to Jerk a Few Tears

Aryeh Harris-Shapiro

The first thing that needs to be discussed when reviewing “A Dog’s Purpose” is the controversy surrounding it, namely a video of alleged animal abuse that was posted online prior to the film’s release. That video, two shots of a German Shepard apparently being forced into water against its will, has come to define “A Dog’s Purpose,” perhaps unfairly. If the film’s animal trainers are to be believed, the clip was edited in a purposefully misleading way that transformed a fairly mundane on-set occurrence into the illusion of an abusive situation. Pending deeper investigation, many will choose to stay away from a family film with this kind of shadow hanging over it. That’s a fair choice, and one you shouldn’t lose sleep over—the film isn’t any kind of masterpiece, pleasant but crude and sometimes oddly dark for a family film. Even so, dog lovers will likely find themselves wiping their eyes, even if they’re slightly embarrassed at doing so.

“A Dog’s Purpose” centers on an odd concept, one introduced in the film’s opening moments when its nameless dog protagonist, inner narrative voiced by Josh Gad, lives a short life as a stray before being put down at the pound. That isn’t the end of the movie, though. The dog is reincarnated in a new body and eventually makes his way to Ethan, a young boy played by both Bryce Gheisar and, as a teenager, K.J. Apa. Ethan and the dog, now named Bailey, become inseparable. Bailey brings together Ethan and his girlfriend Hannah, played by Britt Robertson, and things go well until Ethan’s home life and football star future implode. Bailey’s health fails, and he is reincarnated again and again, helping lonely souls while keeping one eye out for Ethan, his one true partner.

With such an off-center premise, “A Dog’s Purpose” functions surprisingly well. The movie is filled with talented actors working way too hard, especially John Ortiz, whose gruff authenticity elevates a chapter of Bailey becoming a police dog and ventures into harm’s way while chasing down a kidnapper. Dennis Quaid is also a standout as an adult Ethan, his bug-eyed intensity the only thing that can truly sell his character discovering dog reincarnation. But the real draws here are the many dogs that carry Bailey’s soul, all of whom are adorable and spectacular at playing out naïve voiceover. Of course, you have to watch them all die, which is where “A Dog’s Purpose” maybe gets a bit too much for its own good.

In many ways, director Lasse Hallström and screenwriter Cathryn Michon have created an extremely odd movie, sometimes needlessly dark, sometimes bizarrely wacky, subjecting its characters to slapstick pratfalls in between schmaltz and melodrama. “A Dog’s Purpose” never loses sight of its core message: dogs are cute and they love you. It’s a heartwarming sentiment, one marred by the film’s controversy but a distressingly effective one nonetheless.

“A Dog’s Purpose” opens nationwide on Jan. 27.