A Dog’s Purpose (2017)

Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom | 96 minutes | adventure, comedy, drama, family, fantasy | Actors: Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, Bryce Gheisar, KJ Apa, Juliet Rylance, Luke Kirby, Gabrielle Rose, Michael Bofshever, Britt Robertson, Logan Miller, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Pooch Hall, John Ortiz, Nicole LaPlaca, Primo Allon

That a dog is the most loyal companion a person could wish for is frequently confirmed in ‘A Dog’s Purpose’. In his latest dog film, director Lasse Hallström has chosen to focus on the somewhat naive world of thinking of a reincarnating dog. The filmmaker has had a hard time with all the commotion that had arisen after footage of a ‘behind-the-scene’ video (in which a sheepdog is slightly forced into the water) was leaked. Even the premiere of ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ was canceled to prevent the negative connotation of the video from dominating the friendly message of the film. Despite the unfortunate incident, the admirable performances of various dog breeds deserve to be seen. The Swedish director largely owes the realization of his imaginative angle to these endearing, loyal protagonists.

Dog Bailey’s life starts off a bit bleak, but he soon meets the energetic Ethan (Bryce Gheisar, KJ Apa and Dennis Quaid). They grow up together and share joys and sorrows over the years. When animal old age comes into play, only a precious memory of the close friendship remains. The dog’s life ends rather sadly – ​​which certainly stirs up the desired emotions in lovers of wagging four-legged friends – but there is no question of endless mourning, because a simple flash of light initiates a rebirth. Bailey changes shape several times and each time manages to adapt to his (or her) new life, one more rosy than the other. During five different lives, an attempt is made to unravel the meaning of life from a dog’s perspective, with each existence bringing a different owner, new adventures and life lessons. Still, Bailey’s memory of and love for his first owner Ethan persists, which ultimately leads to a fabulous and extremely well-behaved reunion.

While the tender relationship between Bailey and Ethan is discussed in detail, Hallström has managed to succinctly summarize the essence of the other dogs’ lives. The question of what the meaning of life is and what role a dog plays in it seems philosophical, but in the end it contains a fairly harmless answer, which may or may not be obvious. Bailey’s inner self remains the same throughout all lifetimes. Although he grows up in different environments with different people around him, he always feels the need to look for affection. The friendly character of the whole contributes to the credibility that the strong bond between humans and animals is unconditional and meaningful.

Where Hallström manages to move a wide audience with ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’ (2009), partly thanks to his drive in translating sentiment into images in a realistic way, the director in ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ seems just a bit too forced on to be on the lookout for so-called ’tissue scenes’. For example, a dog feels (or smells) its owner flawlessly, it knows how to turn a tear into a smile and loneliness turns into company. And sure, the puppies are to die for and make quite a few viewers hearts melt, but the mostly childish humor and the extremely peaceful voice of Bailey, voiced by Josh Gad (also known for the voice of snowman Olaf in “Frozen” (2013)) , ensure that the film succeeds above all as a heartwarming, sweet family film.