Synopsis
A dog goes on quest to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes with multiple owners.
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Cast
- Josh GadDogs: Bailey / Buddy / Tino / Ellie (voice)
- K.J. ApaTeen Ethan
- Britt RobertsonTeen Hannah
- Dennis QuaidAdult Ethan
- Peggy LiptonAdult Hannah
- Juliet RylanceElizabeth - Ethan's Mom
- Luke KirbyJim - Ethan's Dad
- John OrtizCarlos
- KirbyMaya Williams
- Pooch HallAl
Recommendations
- 80
New York Daily News
The film is both heartwarming and soul-shattering. Its theme of an unbreakable bond between man and his best friend is reminiscent of "My Dog Skip," "Homeward Bound" and "Old Yeller." - 60
Variety
Viewed in a vacuum, it’s hard to fault the movie’s earnestness; Hallström’s canine cinema pedigree (which includes the superior “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”) shows through; and Rachel Portman’s score is understandably sentimental without going completely saccharine. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
While the human performers are more than adequate, there’s no doubt that the canine stars carry the day. Their utter irresistibility helps a long way in terms of getting past the corny plot machinations of A Dog’s Purpose. - 55
TheWrap
A Dog’s Purpose offers many of the highlights of human-canine relations at their warmest and most affectionate, but the film chooses to skim on sun-dappled surfaces (Terry Stacey of “Elvis and Nixon” was the cinematographer) and sentimentality (Rachel Portman’s score bombards the heartstrings) when it might have gone deeper - 50
Movie Nation
It’s all harmless enough, with the odd lump-in-the-throat moment as another dog meets his or her end. As a lifelong dog owner, I found the going rather grim. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
Sure, we get the obligatory slapstick dog-shtick in the form of overturned food carts and disastrous dinner scenes and wacky chases, and there are some uplifting moments — but the overall mood of Lasse Hallstrom’s pup-point-of-view film is … melancholy, sometimes even grim. - 40
We Got This Covered
A Dog's Purpose goes the Collateral Beauty route by preying on sadness and not earning its emotional reactions. - 30
The New York Times
You don’t need an animal-rights group’s boycott to give you permission to avoid A Dog’s Purpose. You can skip it just because it’s clumsily manipulative dreck.
