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WHAT’S IT ABOUT?     

We just had a dog movie in theaters, right?  Yep.  That one was called A Dog’s Way Home  This one is the sequel to A Dog’s Purpose.  Confusing?  Yep, a little bit.  If you loved A Dog’s Purpose, then you’ll like this one too.  If you’ve seen that movie, then you’ve pretty much seen this one.  Why the need for a sequel, then?  Good question.

This movie was harder for me to watch than A Dog’s Purpose because my own family’s dog of 15 years recently died.  I bawled for days.  That’s the reason for this sequel.  Dog lovers are just as loyal as dogs themselves, so this movie is a blatant attempt at squeezing more money and tears out of dog lovers.

All that being said, it’s still charming and will probably make you cry.

IS IT ANY GOOD? C+

It’s a bit of a coming-of-age movie about a young girl trying to find her way in the world. In that regard, it’s really HER journey and not the dog’s.  The central plot is whether or not CJ will find the right man to love.  A thicker theme would have been better and some may be turned off by the idea that a girl has to find a man to be fulfilled.

Josh Gad has such a likable voice, right?  Dennis Quaid has such a likable smile, right?  They’re both back in sequel.  Bruce Cameron wrote the novel of the same name, as well as this screenplay. Congratulations to director Gail Mancuso for making her big-screen debut in A Dog’s Purpose movie, after directing sitcoms for a while.

A couple more ideas that might bother viewers are that the characters in the movie are either really good or really bad with nothing in between.  Also, there were quite a few canine bodily functions. I guess they’re supposed to be hysterical, right?

IS IT OKAY FOR YOUR KIDS?    (PG)

Your kids are going to want a dog.  It’s sad enough when a dog dies, but Baily dies over and over again. It’s sad every time.

Reincarnation is a big theme, obviously, in this movie. If you don’t believe in reincarnation, this entire movie will just seem totally bizarre to you.  Well, maybe “transmigrate” is a better description of how the dog’s soul jumps into new bodies after it dies.  The breeds are different and even the genders are different.  Still bizarre, right?  Good luck explaining that to your kids.

No profanity, which makes the movie more family-friendly.  That is if you can handle the sad death scenes.

ANY WORTHWHILE MESSAGES?       

  • “I know that my purpose is to love people.” – Bailey (Josh Gad)
  • “Things don’t always turn out as we plan, but sometimes the surprises are the best part.” -Bailey
  • Love
  • Family
  • “I don’t have all the answers, but I know we end up where we’re meant to be.” – Bailey

Movie Review Mom:  Trina Boice teaches for BYU-I and is an author of 29 books.  You can read more of her reviews at www.MovieReviewMom.com  You can hear her podcast “Daily Inspirational Quotes Hosted by Trina” on Amazon Echo devices and Volley FM.  Because she is a popular speaker in China and loves to travel around the world, she created www.EmptyNestTravelHacker.com  You can see all of her books and win prizes at www.TrinasBooks.com  You can also find @TrinaBoice on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.