Canine caper lacks emotional pull
Those unprepared for abundant anthropomorphism and difficult questions about death should steer themselves and their kids well clear.
A kind of cross between The Littlest Hobo, Quantum Leap and The Age of Adeline, Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom’s (Chocolat, The Shipping News) latest effort is a romantic-drama for dog lovers.
Josh Gad (Frozen, Beauty and the Beast) is the voice of our multiple-lifed, multiple-breed pooch, who ponders philosophical questions while helping various people to live better lives.
There’s lonely college student Maya (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), widowed police officer Carlos (John Ortiz) and most significantly, seemingly ordinary young boy Ethan (Bryce Gheisar). It is he who rescues golden retriever ‘‘Buddy’’ from potential death by heatstroke and persuades his strict father that he’ll look after his new pal.
The pair become inseparable, as Buddy helps teenage Ethan (Kiwi KJ Apa) through his burgeoning gridiron career, find first love and deal with his Dad’s increasing alcoholism. However, their bond is truly tested when double tragedy strikes and Ethan’s hopes and dreams are shattered.
Based on W Bruce Cameron’s 2010 ‘‘tail-wagging three hanky boo-hooer’’ of a novel, A Dog’s Purpose is an entertaining, if surprisingly unemotional watch. That’s perhaps down to a fairly predictable story arc and changes from the book that turn most of the non-Ethan plotlines into the equivalent of filler.
Still, it provides a good showcase for a variety of dog breeds and our own acting talent. Apa (TV’s Riverdale) displays plenty of promise (he reminds one of early noughties US heartthrob Josh Hartnett) and his scenes with girlfriend Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland) provide both the most fun and emotional depth.
Those unprepared for abundant anthropomorphism and difficult questions about death should steer themselves and their kids well clear, however for those who hanker for drama and comedy from an earlier age (one set-piece even involves a boss coming over for dinner) there’s plenty to enjoy.
A Dog’s Purpose – it’s the cinematic equivalent of a Nicholas Sparks story for those hankering for a canine companion. - James Croot