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Dog Movie Review

Dog is a 2022 comedy drama road movie directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin and starring Tatum himself. It’s a very well made and fun, but familiar flick.

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“That’s MY unicorn!“

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Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Briggs and Lulu, a Belgian Malinois, race down the Pacific Coast to get to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. This is a type of lightweight, sweet movie that is perfect for families and especially animal lovers. It flies by fast and it’s very engaging to watch.

My main issue here lies in the script department. The emotional core of the story worked, but the problem is that most of the plot points rang false as they were too ridiculous and over-the-top. The entire farm sequence was way too silly to be taken seriously. The movie consists of a bunch of unrealistic scenarios interspersed between the moving drama at its heart.

Yes, the highlight in Dog is the connection that develops between this wonderful dog and this soldier. The two are wounded by war psychologically and the film is important in showcasing just how broken dogs can be emotionally due to trauma as they exhibit PTSD and anxiety similar to humans.

But Channing Tatum was especially great here. He was so well cast and it was interesting that he co-directed the movie, though obviously he fared much better in the acting chair. He was likable despite being somewhat of a douche at times and he genuinely executed the more emotional beats of his arc very well.

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Dog doesn’t have particularly strong technical aspects, but the movie still looks good and the pacing is excellent as it flies by and doesn’t ever drag. The runtime was just right in this instance and the ending was emotionally rewarding, if obviously predictable.