Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: A Dog's Purpose

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Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 02-08-2017, 06:26 AM:

This movie was bizarre. I'm going to have a hard time explaining how I felt about it.

If you've seen the trailer, you know the movie follows the many lives of one particular dog's soul, Bailey.

I found myself interested in each story, but repeatedly disappointed in how shallow each one seemed. Perhaps it was the perspective.

I found myself wondering why Bailey HAD to go back to that one particular life.

I found myself extremely frustrated with the actions of most the humans, probably for good reason.

And I found myself getting downright angry with how much I kept crying. Holy hell. I should've brought napkins.

By the end of the movie I was so emotionally drained I guess I just checked out, I pretty much missed the end or I guess the point of it all.

I left with a very weird taste in my mouth, but I certainly wouldn't say it was wasted time, nor would I recommend against seeing this feature. I'll probably end up watching it again. Or at least the end.

3.5/5

Posted by Ken Lackner (Member # 1002) on 02-08-2017, 10:19 AM:

I absolutely love dogs, and this film intrigues me, but I just don't know if I can handle the emotional feelercoaster that I know is in store.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-03-2017, 08:55 PM:

We're playing catch-up before "Beauty and the Beast" comes in, so we're playing this movie right now.

I liked the movie, mostly due to the fun commentary by Josh Gad voicing the dog in his various lives. The dog's "bad behavior" was a little beyond cute and would have caused some families to trade him in for a better-behaved model, but it was played for comedy so in a family-film kind of way, that was OK. Most of adult "action" felt kind of tacked-on and overdone.

All of which can be explained away because it's a "family film" and they tend not to be so realistic, but this movie DOES have an ending that packs an emotional punch. Or rather, it's supposed to. The emotional and should-have-been-a-surprise ending was completely ruined by the trailer, which basically tells the entire story including the "reveal" near the end.

So for me, what could have been a nice experience with a really heart-touching ending was like watching a rerun of a sitcom episode I already saw. It makes me feel bad for having played the trailer over the past couple months, knowing the audience's experience is going to be similarly ruined. Should have just put up a slide instead.

Thanks a lot, trailer editors. You're a bunch of freaking idiots.

2.5 stars out of 5 from me.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 03-03-2017, 09:14 PM:

I agree with you Mike. They could have included Dennis Quaid in the trailer without giving away the significance of his part.

I would describe the movie as an emotional sandwich where the bread was the most interesting part. I felt the stories/lives between the main story were far less interesting than the beginning and end story.