‘A Dog’s Journey’ a juicy bone for canine lovers
A Dog’s Journey Rated: PG for thematic content, some peril and rude humor. Running time: 108 minutes. 66 out of 4
If you’re the type who doesn’t react well to a big, sloppy dog kiss, stay away from “A Dog’s Journey.” If not — and if you’re OK with a sky-high saccharine quotient — the movie will give you the equivalent of a canine tummy rub.
It’s a followup to “A Dog’s Purpose,” the 2017 Lasse Hallstrom tearjerker (and box-office hit) about canine reincarnation. I’m aware of a belief in the rebirth of animal souls, but never thought of it in terms of man’s best friend. But W. Bruce Cameron did, and wrote the novels that inspired both movies.
Josh Gad again provides the voice of the dog that migrates through different bodies, the first being Bailey, the outsized, friendly pooch from the previous movie. Bailey is enjoying life on the Michigan farm of Ethan (Dennis Quaid, reprising his role from the first film) and his wife, Hannah (Marg Helgenberger).
The main human character, however, is CJ, the child of Hannah’s stepdaughter, Gloria (Betty Gilpin). The girl is eventually taken from the farm by her mother — a very unhappy soul — to Chicago, where various troubles wait. Further damaged by the travails of urban life, Gloria is a nightmare mom. (The movie certainly endorses traditional family values.)
But CJ is blessed with a canine guardian angel in Molly, a beagle hosting the soul of the now-deceased Bailey. A good thing, too, because CJ, an aspiring singer-songwriter, has some serious grief in store, including heavy boyfriend troubles. In her late teens (and portrayed now by Kathryn Prescott), she breaks from her mother and strikes out for New York. Naturally, Bailey is around to chaperone again, this time embodied in a Yorkshire terrier.
The movie is a sob-fest and often has a Hallmark feel, relying on such hokum as a Lassie-style rescue of an endangered child. There are even passages set in what seems to be doggie heaven, and cute canine antics are endlessly on display.
But even the crustiest viewers (count me among them) must credit director Gail Mancuso for a handful of sequences that, amid all the glop, are capable of softening a hard heart. An example is when Bailey makes his first transition, and Quaid, who overall plays pretty broadly, conveys genuine affection and sorrow.
While the first movie’s human focus was on Quaid’s character as a youth, this one centers on CJ, and allows Mancuso to develop a modest girl-power theme. At the same time, there’s a cancer side theme that seems to come out of left field, and the movie hastily resolves all issues with near-miracles and one-sentence explanations.
You can bet that the ending is happy and teary, and Mancuso really opens up the waterworks. “A Dog’s Journey” is a big, juicy bone for canine-focused humans, especially youngsters, but much less of a treat for others.