A Dog’s Purpose

Many canine aficionados have their own secret language between human and pooch that only they fully comprehend. But how much does the dog really understand? Do they reciprocate their affection for us or secretly resent the domestication?

A Dog’s Purpose speculates on the answers in the most sentimental fashion possible. It’s a movie by dog lovers, for dog lovers, meant to celebrate the enduring companionship of man’s best friend, that’s more concerned with being cute and cuddly than providing any meaningful insight or substance.

This playful adaptation of the novel by Bruce Cameron takes its episodic structure from the assumption that our furry friends have nine lives, following a single dog in spirit through various reincarnations with a diverse group of owners over multiple decades.

It starts with a golden retriever puppy named Bailey winding up with Ethan (Bryce Gheisar) a preteen who remains attached to the dog even as a teenager (K.J. Apa), when he becomes a star athlete, deepens his romance with a girl (Britt Robertson), and must deal with outbursts from his alcoholic father (Luke Kirby).

After Bailey’s eventual death, he’s reincarnated as a heroic German Shepherd inner-city police dog, a Corgi companion for a lonely college student (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), and a St. Bernard mix who’s neglected, before a twist of fate returns him to the adult Ethan (Dennis Quaid).

Through each episode, our four-legged protagonist narrates its thoughts via the voice of Josh Gad using language that’s simplistic and oblivious, yet frequently amusing. And there are multiple breeds on display to spread the cuteness around.

Venerable director Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules) tries to further maximize the adorable sighs by consistently presenting shots from the pooch’s perspective. Such a strategy works fine in the lighthearted moments, but feels awkward when the focus is on more serious narrative material.

The vignettes vary widely in terms of tone, length and subject matter. However, the first segment is the most impactful simply because it has the deepest character development among both people and canines. And the film offers a touching depiction of mutual devotion when it’s not aggressively trying to jerk tears.

Then there’s the existential question posed in the title, which is hard enough for us humans to figure out for ourselves. As for A Dog’s Purpose, why should we care?

Rated PG, 99 minutes.