DOG FILM BRINGS ON THE SCHMALTZ
How much of a sweet tooth do you have when it comes to movies? It’s a question you might want to consider before stepping out for Charles Martin Smith’s “A Dog’s Way Home,” W. Bruce Cameron adaptation of his book about a dog who finds her way back to her owner across 400 miles of Colorado terrain, because this is one sugary concoction.
Not that it’s ineffective—I dare even nondog lovers not to get misty-eyed at the inevitable conclusion—it’s just very earnest, like a PBS Kids morning show-meets-cute puppy pics slideshow with much higher production value.
Honeyed voice
Bryce Dallas Howard provides the honeyed voice for the heroine, Bella, a stray who lives happily with some dogs and cats under an abandoned property, until animal services snags about half of them, including her mom.
She soon gets adopted by a kind college-age kid across the street, Lucas (Jonah HauerKing), who works at the VA and lives with his mom, a war vet who struggles with depression, played by Ashley Judd.
Bella is a cute pup who grows into a very cute dog with limited grammar and comprehension skills that never quite evolve past that of a 4-year-old.
She also happens to be enemy No. 1 of the city of Denver after she falls on the wrong side of a ban on breeds designated as pit bulls, and impounds them on sight.
Once the authorities get word of Bella and impound her, her cozy existence with Lucas and his mom comes to an end, and she goes to live with relatives of Olivia who live in New Mexico.
But the dutiful and deeply nostalgic Bella decides to take things into her own hands and find her way back to Denver and Lucas.
Surprisingly intense
“A Dog’s Way Home” is actually surprisingly intense. Bella goes dumpster-diving one day with a pack of mangy dogs she comes across, she witnesses poachers killing a cougar, befriends a CGI baby cougar, steals food from establishments, survives an avalanche, a freeway and even lives with a homeless man for a while.
But she is laser-focused on getting back to Lucas, however, and even the good situations she comes across aren’t enough.
The film is harmless enough and a nice adventure that’s fit for the whole family. But you might want to have the tissues ready.—