A Dog's Purpose (2017) User Reviews

Good family movie, don't believe the lies

[bpeterson82 · 7/10 · 27 January 2017]

This was a tear jerking, laugh inducing, emotional roller-coaster of a solid family flick.

While it isn't quite Marley & Me, it was as close as you can get. The acting was adequate and the writing may be forgettable but the love between of Man's Best Friend and the many characters in this film is palpable.

I was hesitant to spend money on this film after hearing the negative animal abuse allegations against it, but I found them to be false. Apparently TMZ made it up.

So get ready for love, pain and lots of laughter that makes this a must see for every family! Just be sure to take tissues with you.

Enjoyable with an inaccurate rating.

[cinemacookie-08671 · 8/10 · 21 February 2017]

Not the best movie I've seen but it was surprisingly good. Animal lovers will really like it. Ignore the idiots who spammed this with 1 stars. People overreacted after reading an article with a malicious narrative. Those people are morons and have tainted the rating of a rather likable film.

Ignore PETA and their smear campaign. This is a wonderful film for the entire family

[michaelbuday-65018 · 8/10 · 29 January 2017]

This is a wonderful, heartwarming film about a dog that lives several lives with different families via reincarnation. Oh yes, and the dog is the narrator too.

A little hokey? Yes.

A perfect film? No.

Does it satisfy the needs for parents wanting to take their kids to a film that celebrates how awesome dogs are? YES.

Will dog loving audiences enjoy this film, absolutely.

Given all the bad press and reviews of this film, I was expecting the theatre to be empty, but it was packed. Further, everyone applauded at the end. And it deserved that because it was fun and brought smiles and tears aplenty.

Amazing Movie

[xdarkxcondor · 24 January 2017]

Despite what TMZ and PETA have lied about. This is an amazing movie. I saw an early screening of it on January 18th and it is one of the best movies I've ever seen. I for one do not believe everything I see on the internet, therefore I had no reason to believe the video that "supposedly" showed animal abuse. Footage is very easily manipulated. People need to learn that. This movie is absolutely incredible, the story is amazing, and it made me cry at least five times. Overall I recommend the movie, and I recommend you not believe everything you see online. I had a great time watching this movie, I truly enjoyed it, I even plan to see it again when it is officially out.

It will make you laugh and it will make you cry...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 20 January 2019]

I was recommended to watch "A Dog's Purpose" as it was allegedly a very emotional and touching story. So with that in mind, I tracked down the 2017 movie and gave it a go.

Right, well I must say that I am somewhat conflicted as to what to think of the movie. On one hand it was an emotional movie, true. And yeah, it is a movie that will have the audience in tears, no doubt about that. But on the other hand, then I feel that the part of having the movie broken down into segments, with the dog returning to live different lives was sort of strange, and the two middle segments where the dog returned as a police dog and a pet to a lonely woman was fully and wholeheartedly there solely as serving as filling for the movie being able to pass as a feature length movie. These two segments served absolutely no purpose to the story, as the heart of the story was the bond and connection between the dog Bailey and its owner Ethan.

The voice over for the dog really worked quite well, because it was done rather nicely, without keeping it sappy or as a comedy aspect. It really helped bring the dog Bailey to life on the screen and gave it so much more personality and made it all the more lovable and easy to bond with the dog.

The acting in the movie was good, and it was especially K.J. Apa (playing teenaged Ethan) and Dennis Quaid (playing adult Ethan) whom carried the movie with their performances. But the dogs really stole the show, especially the two dogs that were around the Ethan characters in the various stages of his life.

"A Dog's Purpose" is definitely a family movie, and one that is quite worth taking the time to sit down and watch. Just ensure that you have to tissue within reach, because this is a tearjerker of a movie. I am rating the movie 7 out of 10 stars because this is the type of movie that hits straight to the center of the heart and stays with you.

One of the most heartfelt movies I've ever seen

[jgtornado12 · 10/10 · 26 January 2017]

A Dog's Purpose is an awesome movie about a dog's love for their human. The movie literally portrays so many different ways that dogs are treated. A Dog's Purpose did an amazing job at building up raw emotion in a short amount of time. Very similar to the way we felt in Marley and Me. It is an absolute shame that this movie will be swept under the rug by many people because they believe everything they read on the internet. The videos show that "Hercules", the dog in the scene that went viral, was apparently being forced into the water. Hercules was chosen to do this scene because of his affinity to water. He was trained to jump in on the opposite side of the pool to what was shown in the video. After the trainer tried to calm him by letting him test out the water and the dog still was spooked, they stopped attempting the scene from that side. There were multiple people in the water if something happened. There was even a diver constantly under the dog at all times. However, PETA and every news organization does not want to report this because they just hop on a hot topic without any research. I have 7 dogs, 4 are rescues, and I used to work at a veterinary clinic, so I have seen so many cases of abuse and a dog getting wet is not a form of abuse. The movie builds a human's love for their dog, and it really portrays how a dog is truly a man's best friend. If this movie wasn't boycotted, I honestly feel like it could have led to many people adopting dogs from shelters so they can feel the same love that us dog owners have.

Dog gone dog back.

[Quietb-1 · 7/10 · 26 January 2017]

The end credits include the Humane Society, "No Animals were harmed..." statement. In the past it was alleged the producer may have had people issues, but never animal issues.

The movie is a good dog story that will be enjoyed by the entire family. It is especially good for dog lovers. The main dog passes on but is back before you have time to cry.

In terms of performances, the movie proves the show business adage, don't work with kids or animals. The best performances are the kids and the dogs. The movie feels a tad long. Lucky it's cats that have nine lives not dogs.

There's a good use of music and pleasing cinematography. The movie plays well on the big screen. It will be enjoyed on home platforms. Watch it with your dog.

great heartwarming film

[kategcom · 10/10 · 29 January 2017]

those who have read this book will not be disappointed, as always the book is still better than the movie, but for a movie based on a great book, they did a really good job. the story is heartwarming, and has a few tearful moments, but all in all, it was a happy ending. as someone who almost always cries at the sad movies, i give this a 3 tissue warning. i truly enjoyed this book, and all W. Bruce Cameron's books, and the idea of making a movie from such a great book is always troubling, but the process here was well done. the actors representing the characters did a great job of embodying the personalities, and no one can complain about Josh Gad voicing the many lives of the dog. bravo to the producers and the director for doing such a good job with the story,

This movie is so sad but so good!

[MorgAmanda · 6/10 · 18 May 2017]

I can honestly say that "A Dogs Purpose" is one of the best child- friendly(ish) movies that I have ever watched. The reason I say it is child-friendly(ish) and not just child friendly is because this movie is nearly impossible for any dog-lover to watch without at least shedding a tear. I personally bawled my eyes out numerous times during the movie. Although the movie has many tragic scenes, the cast and crew did an amazing job at depicting the story in a way that could easily comfort a child when they experience the death of a beloved pet. I had high hopes for this movie when I saw the previews and nearly cried at that. I am happy to say that I am not disappointed with this movie. I love this movie so much!!!!

Beautiful Movie

[poisoncupcake74 · 10/10 · 27 January 2017]

*Spoiler alert*

This movie is about a dog who is trying to figure out why he exists. He goes through 4 different reincarnated "lives" of various types of dogs, until he ends up finding the boy (now a man) who he was with in his first 'life', thus ending with his analysis on what his purpose is. If you see a bad review, most likely they were objecting to that video and not the story or the movie. Because it is seriously the most incredible, heartwarming, lovely movie and all the dog's are beautiful. This movie will have you crying at least 4 different times, laughing, happy and remembering all of YOUR dogs/pets you've ever owned. This movie has an IMDb rating that is extremely low because of fear that the dog in the "k-9 unit" scene was hurt. This is not a rating on the movie though, it is more of an objection to it. In truth if you were to rate this on the quality and beauty of the movie and only for that reason, it would most likely receive ratings between 8- 10. I saw this with a focus group and all 6 of us thought it was a 9 or 10, not one person did not like it. All of us-both males and females shed tears, all were emotional. All said they loved it. And afterward all shared stories with each other of their own pets they have had in their lives. Go see this movie. Its beautiful.

Cute show and extremely family friendly

[jsucese · 7/10 · 29 May 2017]

One of the best family films of the year. The voice performance of Gad had you enthralled from the beginning. It was a nice surprise to see Dennis Quaid and Peggy Lipton appear on screen and look absolutely amazing! The fuss made over parts of the show are over exaggerated and for those who have yet to read the "Whole Truth and but the Truth" don't deserve to see this film. I would hope in real life we all can be better humans.

Great Movie!

[matthewbabstock · 10/10 · 26 January 2017]

I know, the scandal video made the movie's reputation go down drastically, but this movie is great! The dog wasn't actually harmed at all during filming, so there's nothing to worry about. The movie left me feeling happy. The movie was very enjoyable and I would recommend that you go and see it. The movie was very touching. I hope this movie does well because a lot of time and effort was put into it, and it did pay off, but the video stupid TMZ posted made people come and review this movie based on the scandal, before they had even SEEN the movie.I also recommend that especially dog lovers/animal lovers go see the movie because it's more understandable from an animal lovers/owners point of view.

Fluff Piece

[nicolechan916 · 7/10 · 1 May 2017]

So, I am a big dog lover. I would love to pet all the fluffy (I'm biased) dogs I meet - and have pretty much done so. This movie, is good enough for any dog lover to watch, as you get plenty of puppy action. Anyone who has ever had a dog or just like dogs in general, will feel the feels when watching this movie.

The trainers for the dogs, and the directing of them is fantastic. A plus for all the dogs who acted in the movie, and for all the trainers and pooch directors who helped to make the film. Hallstrom did a great job at using certain angles, and close-ups in order to transfer the delivery of the lines convincingly as thoughts of the dog. Some of the wide shots in the wheat fields were nicely taken too - props on cinematography.

As for the cast, they did a pretty good job. Gad was a good choice as the voice of Bailey, and I'd say Gheisar, as the 8 year old Ethan, was my favorite. He was very expressive, and the perfect companion for Bailey.

While the story isn't anything exciting, it is excusable because all the audience is concerned about, is the dog. It is pretty much a predictable story (as one can see from the trailer), but I enjoyed it well enough. The different reincarnations give people a sense of how different the lives of dogs can be. From being in a loved family, to the police service, or a neglected home; a dog's purpose - as I understand it, is determined by us humans.

Overall, this movie doesn't pretend to be anything but a fun, fluff- filled film.

A really weird snoozer

[Niik_Flix · 3/10 · 20 January 2021]

This may be one of the more challenging films to write a review for. It was a very slow paced story and you expect the turns of the story pretty early on. If you found anything unexpected in this story, then you might be 5 years old. I realize this is a kid/family movie, but this was composed of regurgitated hallmark sappy-ness and an unexplainable reincarnating dog. There is zero explanation for how the reincarnation occurs, why, and it's limitations. Is it like this for other dogs? Or just this particular dog. Do all humans have a reincarnating animal paired with them? If you want to watch something positive and ask zero questions, then you may like this movie and there is nothing wrong with whatever gets your movie-fix. However, as a piece of cinematic art... don't waste your time.

It was an enjoyable 7.7 out of ten

[wknehrboss · 11 February 2017]

I'm the biggest movie snob. I refuse to watch a movie that gets below a seven, but I made an exception for A Dog's Purpose as I read and enjoyed the book. And I was not disappointed.This movie was touching,enjoyable,funny and most importantly not cheesy.The fake reviews given by animal rights activist who didn't even watch the movie are total mischarecterizations of this well done film. It was not a ten stars(though I gave it that to help balance out all the fake reviews) but it was enjoyable and worth watching. For those of you who read the book and are afraid the movie will spoil the book the movie did Bruce Cameron's work justice. So please ignore the dismal overall rating and go and enjoy The Dog's Purpose.

People are stupid

[tayhiokthong · 7/10 · 27 January 2017]

Are people seriously that stupid! Do people only read the title of an article and not read the rest, where there are all the information's! Does nobody do research at all! TMZ are a bunch of liars! They edited the video to make the dog look like it was in danger but it's not! There was a very annoying cut in the video, apparently nobody notice it. 1 video doesn't explained the entire story! The dog doesn't even look abused,they didn't throw the dog. It's not like they don't care, they do. Look behind the scenes, do research and stop jumping to conclusion without any evidences!

I am supporting this people.

Surprised by the low rating- it was an excellent movie

[claudjak-864-699400 · 10/10 · 27 January 2017]

Let me state up front that compared to "other movies" this movie is not a 10 but for what I expected it to be -a kid friendly, fun-loving movie that is relatively straightforward- it gets a 10. My 8 yr old son and 10 yr old daughter loved it, and so did I. It was sweet and heartfelt.

I cried each time the dog became another dog, and I don't think I am that sensitive.

In fact, this movie reminds me a bit of look who's talking, in the mind of a baby but in this movie, in the mind of a dog. It may feel realistic for some and not for others but who cares, it is a movie to make you smile and it is definitely not reality.

It will make your heart melt....a boy/man and his dog

[Ed-Shullivan · 7/10 · 6 July 2019]

Ethan is an 8 year old boy whose best friend Bailey was his dog through to his teen years. There is probably ten (10) percent of the population or more that can relate to having a loving pet for many years and then one day having to make that awful decision to put your pet down for humanitarium reasons. Bailey is a dog who we get to see come back to life four (4) times as a different dog breeds each time and with different experiences, some good, some not so good.

Josh Gad is the voice of Bailey throughout each of his four (4) lives and the veteran Walt Disney actor Dennis Quaid is the adult Ethan who finds it too far fetched to believe that the stray dog that shows up on his family farm some decades later is his old Bailey brought back o life in another dogs skin just to mes with his head.

This film will tug at your heart strings and provide tears of joy as well as tears of sadness. It's a great film for young and old alike.

I give the film a 7 out of 10 rating

A Dog's Purpose smear tactic

[larryhou · 10/10 · 26 January 2017]

Don't believe these people that were paid off or have an agenda regarding the success or failure of this movie. TMZ and others are scum for doctoring the footage.

Go see it. The rescue animals deserve their recognition. Perhaps the dog was not used to the generated waves created by the machine. He probably enjoys swimming and jumping in pools of water. The handlers may have not been patient enough or understanding what the director was trying to accomplish. I'm certain that if you saw the tape of the dog after the scene was filmed, he was thrilled to be participating in the water scene. Did you happen to watch Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp where there tossed the dog into a man-made river where the dog was doing everything it could to keep its head above water.

Surprisingly good

[evrivali · 7/10 · 21 September 2017]

I don't really get why this movie was so badly reviewed. I enjoyed it and I don't get what was so bad to gain such negative publicity. It was heartwarming and entertaining and had some pretty funny and touching moments. Okay I get that this whole dog thing is kind of overused in cinema today and it is just an easy way to make the audience more emotional and touched but you already knew that when you went to the cinema to watch a movie called 'A Dog's purpose' right? Plus this is not exactly the case with this one. It talks about unconditional love and the importance of a friend in every stage of a person's life especially when that person lives in a dysfunctional family or has other problems with it's personal life. I am not trying to say that this movie is a masterpiece it is still guilty for clichés and some stupid scenes here and there but these are things you can not avoid. So yes I recommend it to the simplest among us. It is an easy movie to watch at any time and it will be very entertaining for those who are not very used to watching movies.

An AWESOME movie!!

[lindaslattery · 10/10 · 29 January 2017]

Saw this movie on opening night and absolutely LOVED it! Bring your tissues but also prepare to laugh and have fun! This is a great family movie.

The message is about the bonds that humans and dogs share. Love never dies! This movie will also help with people dealing with the loss of a pet. It's not just a movie for dog lovers, but animals of all kinds!

Everything about this movie is top-notch. The acting, writing, and production value are all excellent! Dennis Quaid in particular turns in a very heartfelt performance. The movie overall is very positive and uplifting. I will be going to see this movie again!

A touching dogs tale

[monstermayhem32 · 7/10 · 29 January 2017]

The story of Bailey who lives through five different dog lives finds happiness with a boy named Ethan who grows to love the dog despite the difficulties of dealing with an alcoholic father but manages to find love with Hannah. However life takes a shocking turn for Ethan when he deals with a fire that causes him to lose his home and a chance at a football scholarship. However when Bailey passes away due to old age he is reborn in a different dog who works as a police dog and also a woman trying to find love. However I will say that I found the movie rather touching for dog lovers and those that don't have a dog since there is nothing more powerful than a bond between a dog and person.

Will make you laugh, cry and question the true purpose of life.

[rannynm · 10/10 · 30 January 2017]

There are many movies that focus on a dog's world but not about what the dog is actually thinking. A Dog's Purpose does the opposite, by focusing on the dog and a dog's place in the world. This perfect story will make you laugh, cry and question the true purpose of life. The movie sets out to inspire the audience and does it by taking the main character through an emotional and long adventure filled with comedy, drama and even some romance.

The story begins with a happy puppy entering the world, ready to play and explore. Sadly for the puppy, his life doesn't last long. After passing away, the puppy is surprised to come back as a puppy again. This time in a different body. Soon, he becomes a family pet named Bailey and specifically, is a best friend to the son of the family. As time passes, the boy grows up and heads to college. Bailey passes away once again, but this time he's happy to have lived a long life with a human he loves. Bailey comes back again and again and again. Each time Bailey comes back as a different dog breed (or gender) with a different life purpose. Finally, after many lives, he realizes that his main purpose is to spend time with the people he loves and to help them in their lives as much as he can.

Only a few movies truly make me cry and, within the first 15 minutes, this became one of them. This was done not by blasting sad emotions with sad music at the viewer, but by building a real connection with the characters. The story doesn't put a smile on everything. It is realistic and very sad and depressing at times. People who own dogs, like me, will never look at their dogs the same way. They will look at them as true companions and family members.

I really enjoyed the voice-over (Josh Gad) for Bailey and his other incarnations. His voice-over work is phenomenal and suits all the dogs in the story so well. The cinematography is also spot on. It often shows specific scenes from the dog's perspective which is a genius idea and truly allows one to have a deeper connection with the character. The entire cast evokes emotion and keep a complex story entertaining.

The scene where Bailey/Ellie swim in the water is my favorite because it is an action-packed scene that is exciting but also very sad. Another reason to bring up this scene is that it is the scene that has elicited accusations of animal abuse by some animal activists. In this scene, you can clearly see the dog is not in distress. The dog is happy and greatly enjoying the activity as is the case for almost every single scene in the film. Throughout, you see things happening to the main character which would make anyone want to adopt a dog. The message of dog adoption is so strong that it makes me wonder why animal rights activists are boycotting this film when it does nothing but hurts this wonderful and inspirational story to come out and support animal adoption. A Dog's Purpose will inspire hundreds, if not thousands, to go out and adopt dogs to take care of and love.

A Dog's Purpose has some brutally sad facts about the world around us which would be too much for younger kids. There is also mild violence in several scenes, so I recommend it for ages 9 to 18. I give it 5 out of 5 stars for its beautiful message about the purpose of life, its call to action for dog adoption, spectacular voice-over work, emotional acting and unique cinematography.

Reviewed by Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.

Well Done Tearjerker

[wtmerrett · 7/10 · 13 May 2017]

This will require tissues to watch. I usually don't have any emotional reaction to death on screen when people are involved but once it becomes animals...tears come out. The premise follows a dogs' soul as he/she goes through a few lives and reincarnations. Each time the dogs passes on I had to grab a tissue. The director Lasse Hallstrom has experience with emotional movies and does a fine job with this story. Josh Gad has done a lot of voice work and did a great job here as the voice of the dogs. As soon as I saw the Amblin Entertainment involvement I knew it would be a heart-string puller as Steven Spielberg usually gets his company involved in those kinds of movies more so then gratuitous violence or action pictures. Full marks to the animal handlers as they are usually not given much credit but the dogs don't do all those things without lots of work beforehand by the handlers. I can easily recommend this picture but only if you are prepared with a box or tissues.

No.

[simoneorr · 1/10 · 24 December 2018]

Read the book. Everything about the movie is wrong. There were only four dogs, and Toby had a much bigger part and deserved much more than what they did at the beginning of the movie. Toby taught Bailey how to escape, Bailey taught Ellie how to rescue and Ellie taught Buddy how to search and find. That was the purpose of the book. The corgi did not exist in the book, it was a waste of time that could have been used for Toby's story. The acting was weak as was the story and they ruined a potentially decent movie adaptation. I'm incredibly disappointed.