Family Movie Night
By Karyn Bowman
Many of you reading this column know that our family is a pet family.
Meaning that we have and had a variety of pets. Dogs stand out for us because they are right there, every day, beside us as we eat supper or take them for walks or give them food or watch TV or snack on anything that might fall on the floor.
Is there anything more cute – or pitiful – than a dog cocking their head just so in order to beg for a morsel of food?
So this past weekend we watched A Dog’s Purpose with the knowledge that it could make us cry.
And we did cry – a lot. In fact, if you know you cry easily this may not be the movie for you. Context-wise, it is meant for adults although you could go as young as some pre-teens. But be aware you are going to have to do some explaining about pets who die, work dogs who die, and the general life span of a pet. There is no way you are getting through this movie with a younger child not wondering about their beloved pet. And they will cry about it.
The story is about the soul of a dog who travels through time to find he first true master.
We are not getting into the discussion of if animals have souls. In this movie, they do. And they laugh at some of their own antics. I have seen dogs give dirty looks, I have seen dogs smile, I have heard tales of a dog getting revenge on those who mistreat them.
But this dog, Bailey, starts off as the pet of a boy named Ethan. They are together through good times and bad times. That is until Bailey finally dies from old age after 12 wonderful years together.
Through the ether of the universe, Bailey comes back to be beloved by several more owners. He discovers his own love and he is mistreated. And then several years later, he finds Ethan again.
There are many actors who make this movie worth watching, starting with Dennis Quaid. As I searched through the cast list I found the names of people I knew as good reliable actors, such as Peggy Lipton, Britt Robertson, and Josh Gad. I learned about new actors, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Pooch Hall, John Ortiz, and K. J. Apa, who made their roles interesting and compelling.
There is a book of the same name from which this book is based. I read that some portions of the movie are different than the book, which I couldn’t tell you because I haven’t read the book. But I found that this movie had great heart about why pets matter to us humans.
What I do know is that I loved watching this movie and I will probably re-watch it just as soon as I re-gain a healthy level in my my tissue supply.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 