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A Dog's Purpose (film)

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A Dog's Purpose
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLasse Hallström
Screenplay by
Produced byGavin Polone
Starring
Narrated byJosh Gad
CinematographyTerry Stacey
Edited byRobert Leighton
Music byRachel Portman[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • January 27, 2017 (2017-01-27)
Running time
98 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$22 million[3][4]
Box office$193.1 million[3]

A Dog's Purpose is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and written by W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by Cameron. The film stars Britt Robertson, KJ Apa, Juliet Rylance, John Ortiz, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Peggy Lipton, Dennis Quaid and Josh Gad.

The film is a co-production between Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media, and Pariah Entertainment Group.[5][6] It was released by Universal Pictures on January 27, 2017, and grossed $193 million worldwide.

Plot

The movie focuses on a dog whose whole life is shown from his birth to death, to his five reincarnations as different dog breeds and genders. Each time his spirit/soul is reborn and reincarnated into the body of another canine, it tells his story from life to death, except in the latest life, where he meets his original owner/best friend again as a full-grown man.

The movie begins in an unspecified year during the 1950s. It is then that the narrator canine begins and ends a very brief life as a feral puppy named Toby, who wonders what his purpose is. When he is only a few weeks old, Toby is whisked away to the dog pound and quickly euthanized, wondering if "fun" truly is life's purpose.

His strong spirit is reborn and reincarnated as a newborn Retriever puppy in 1961, Toby leaves his cage at a puppy mill and is found by two garbage men who plan to sell him for their own profit. They leave to drink and Toby is spotted locked inside their pick-up truck by a young boy named Ethan and his mother, who rescue him from the brink of death by heatstroke. After convincing Ethan's father, the dog is allowed to stay and renamed Bailey.

Bailey and Ethan bond quickly, especially over the summer when the family visits Ethan's maternal grandparents' farm, and Bailey now believes Ethan alone is his purpose. Years pass and after several attempts at advancing in his job failed, Ethan's father has become a deadbeat alcoholic, though teenage Ethan still tries to respect him - inviting him to a football game now that he has been named starting quarterback.

Over the summer, Ethan goes to a fair with Bailey and meets Hannah, who he quickly begins dating, with Bailey referring to her as "part of the pack". Ethan and Hannah spend their summer happy together though their senior years are upcoming, but they plan to go to the same school; popular Ethan getting a football scholarship and Hannah following him on an academic one. When he goes home one night though, Ethan's father is drunk and shouting at Ethan's mother. He turns on Ethan then and when his mother tries to keep them separated, he shoves her to the ground. Ethan orders his father to leave and never come back, and becomes "the leader of the pack."

Later, at a game watched by scouts, Ethan is offered a full 4-year scholarship to Michigan State, but that night a vindictive classmate named Todd throws a lit firecracker into Ethan's house as a prank, which unintentionally results in a house fire. Bailey attacks Todd, then goes to save Ethan who goes to save his mother. Unable to get out the door of his mother's upstairs bedroom, Ethan first lowers her with her sheets to the neighbors below, then Bailey - but when trying to jump himself, Ethan badly fractures his leg, ending his dreams of an athletic scholarship. Instead he must go to an agricultural school where he will learn to take over his grandparents' farm. Falling into depression, self-pity and bitterness, he grudgingly breaks off his romance with Hannah before leaving for college. Sometime afterwards, an aged Bailey slowly expires at the veterinarian's office after sharing an eleventh-hour teary goodbye with Ethan.

Bailey reincarnates into another dog life, a female German Shepherd Police dog named Ellie, sometime in the late 1970s/early 1980s, while possessing full memories and experiences of his past lives. Ellie is partnered with a widowed officer named Carlos, from the Chicago Police Department and Ellie works hard at "showing" and "finding", now seeing the job as life's purpose. The two form a close relationship which ends after Ellie jumps into a rushing river and saves a kidnapped girl from drowning, and is then fatally shot during a struggle with the armed kidnapper who was a moment away from killing an unsuspecting Carlos.

Reborn again in the mid-1980s as a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, he forms a bond with an Atlanta college student named Maya who names him Tino. Maya is lonely, which Tino, having bonded closely with the girl, realizes, and makes his purpose to find her some happiness. She starts a relationship with another classmate named Al who she begins seeing after Tino falls for Al's dog, a black and white Landseer named Roxie, and allows her to open up to him. Maya and Al marry and have 3 children who all love the Corgi. In love with Roxie (though she does not seem to reciprocate the romance), Tino is permanently heartbroken when one day she does not return from the vet. As he lies dying of old age in the late 1990s, Tino thanks Maya for giving him one of his best lives.

Bailey is again reborn and reincarnated, this time, as a St. Bernard-Australian Shepherd mix, sometime during the next decade, only to be taken in by an abusive and neglectful urban couple who name him Waffles. Waffles is eventually dumped in an abandoned lot and reluctantly sets off in search of a new life. Walking past a dog park and remembering how long it had been since he played, Waffles meets a dog and her human who hold a familiar scent to him, though he knows neither of them. He gradually makes his way to the country area where he spent summers as Bailey without even realizing at first where he is headed. He joyfully reunites with his old master Ethan, who is now somewhere in his 50s, living a lonely life and apparently broken in spirit at his Grandparents' old farm, which he now owns and runs. Ethan, of course, initially has no idea who this wandering dog really is and hands him over to the local animal shelter. But he soon has a change of heart and reclaims him, naming him Buddy. Buddy, sensing that he has finally found the true purpose of life that has long evaded him, finds a way to reunite Ethan with a widowed Hannah, and they eventually get married.

At the conclusion of the movie, Buddy finally convinces Ethan that he is Ethan's beloved childhood pet by performing some tricks and responding to key phrases that were known only to the two of them all those many, many long years ago. Once again "Bailey", the dog tells the audience that life is about having fun, saving others, not getting caught up in the past and regrets, finding someone to be with and to "be here now".

Cast

Production

In 2015, DreamWorks acquired the film rights for Cameron's novel.[9] On May 8, 2015, it was announced Lasse Hallström would direct the film.[10] On August 5, 2015, Britt Robertson and Dennis Quaid joined the cast.[7] On September 18, 2015, Pooch Hall was cast in the film.[8] On October 15, 2015, Bradley Cooper joined the cast to play the dog's inner voice.[11] He was eventually replaced by Josh Gad.[12] Principal photography began on August 17, 2015.[13]

Release

In December 2015, the film switched from a DreamWorks Pictures release to under the Amblin Entertainment banner as per Amblin Partners' newly enacted branded strategy.[14] The film was released by Universal Pictures on January 27, 2017.[15] Universal also distributed it overseas, except for countries where Mister Smith Entertainment handled international sales.

Box office

A Dog's Purpose has grossed $64.3 million in the United States and Canada and $123.9 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $192.3 million, against a production budget of $22 million.[3]

In North America was released alongside Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Gold, and was projected to gross $18–22 million from 3,050 theaters in its opening weekend, slightly lower than initial $27 million tracking had the film debuting to before boycotts against the film were called for.[4] It made $466,000 from Thursday night previews and $5.3 million on its first day. It ended up debuting to $18.2 million, finishing second at the box office behind the second weekend of Universal's own Split.[16] The film dropped 40.6% in its second weekend, grossing $10.8 million and finishing third at the box office.[17]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 29% based on 119 reviews, and an average rating of 4.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A Dog's Purpose offers an awkward blend of sugary sentiment and canine suffering that tugs at animal-loving audiences' heartstrings with shameless abandon."[18] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score 43 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[20]

Home media

A Dog's Purpose was released on digital HD on April 18, 2017, and was followed by a release on Blu-ray and DVD on May 2, 2017, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment.[21][22] The film topped the home video sales chart for the week ending on May 7, 2017.[23]

Animal abuse allegations

Initial reaction

On January 18, 2017, a video surfaced on TMZ showing footage taken from the set of the film, which shows a German Shepherd named Hercules being dragged and dipped into rushing water while visibly resisting.[24] After a cut in the video, the next clip shows the dog being submerged in the water at the other end of the tank while a voice on set can be heard shouting "CUT IT!", and various people are then seen rushing towards the dog.[25] The American Humane Association, which ensures that animals are not harmed in entertainment productions, announced that its representative on set had been suspended over the incident, and that the incident is under further investigation.[26][27] PETA called for a boycott of the film.[28] Actor Josh Gad, who voices the dog in the movie, was not on set during the making of the film, but stated that he was "shaken and sad to see any animal put in a situation against its will".[29] Due to the release of the video, Universal Pictures cancelled the film's scheduled January 19 Los Angeles premiere.[30]

Director Lasse Hallström stated on Twitter that he "did not witness" the actions in the video, and was "very disturbed" by the footage.[31]

Validity of the video

Amblin Entertainment released a statement in regards to the incident, saying that "on the day of the shoot, Hercules did not want to perform the stunt portrayed on the tape so the Amblin production team did not proceed with filming that shot", and that "Hercules is happy and healthy".[32]

Dennis Quaid also came out against the TMZ video, stating that the video did not tell the whole story, saying:

My experience is that the animals were treated great. There was no animal abuse. That video that someone took and sold for money and held on to for a year and a half until right before the film's coming out, does not tell the whole story. First of all, it's been edited and manipulated. And I think it's a scam, to tell you the truth. What they (the viewers of the video) saw was completely out of context. It was edited...and all of the footage I saw, the dog was going into the water happily and had to be restrained, actually, from going into the water many times during that day.

Quaid also said that the video was shot

towards the end of the day and I would not say, in real context, that the dog was frightened. The dog was acting like a dog who was kind of tired of taking a bath and was ready to get out. And, in fact, that's what happened. They took the dog out.[33]

On February 4, 2017, the American Humane Association reported that an independent third-party animal-cruelty expert had concluded that safety measures on the set of the film were in place and the video had been deliberately edited to mislead the public.[34]

References

  1. ^ "Rachel Portman Scoring Lasse Hallstrom's 'A Dog's Purpose' - Film Music Reporter". filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  2. ^ http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/dogs-purpose-2017
  3. ^ a b c "A Dog's Purpose (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Box Office: Can 'A Dog's Purpose' Still Win the Weekend After Canine Controversy?". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  5. ^ Scheck, Frank (January 24, 2017). "'A Dog's Purpose': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 3, 2017. Production companies: Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment, Walden Media, Pariah Entertainment Group Distributor: Universal Pictures
  6. ^ Barker, Andrew (January 24, 2016). "Film Review: 'A Dog's Purpose'". Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2017. A Universal Pictures release of an Amblin Entertainment and Reliance Entertainment presentation in association with Walden Media of a Pariah production
  7. ^ a b c d e f Kit, Borys. "Britt Robertson, Dennis Quaid Join DreamWorks' 'A Dog's Purpose' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  8. ^ a b Lincoln, Ross A. (2015-09-18). "Pooch Hall Joins 'A Dog's Purpose', Doug McKeon Will Run With 'LBJ'". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  9. ^ Kit, Borys (September 16, 2016). "Bradley Cooper in Talks to Voice 'A Dog's Purpose' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  10. ^ Fleming, Mike (2015-05-08). "'A Dog's Purpose' Set At DreamWorks With Lasse Hallstrom To Direct". Deadline. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (2015-10-15). "'A Dog's Purpose': Bradley Cooper in Talks to Voice". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  12. ^ "Josh Gad is Reincarnated Over and Over in the A Dog's Purpose Trailer". 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2016-08-26.
  13. ^ "On the Set for 8/21/15: Eddie Redmayne Starts Fantastic Beasts, Russo Brothers Wrap Up Captain America: Civil War". SSN Insider. 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2015-10-25.
  14. ^ Busch, Anita (December 16, 2016). "It's Official: Spielberg, DreamWorks, Participant, eOne, Others Pact For Amblin Partners". Deadline.com. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
  15. ^ Busch, Anita (2015-09-22). "'A Dog's Purpose' Movie Based On Best-Selling Book To Unleash In 2017". Deadline. Retrieved 2016-01-27.
  16. ^ "Is Controversy Impacting 'A Dog's Purpose' At The Box Office?". Deadline.com.
  17. ^ "'Split' Dings 'Rings'; Auds Keep Distance From 'Space'; 'Comedian' Bombs: Sunday Update". Deadline.com.
  18. ^ "A Dog's Purpose (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  19. ^ "A Dog's Purpose reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  20. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ A Dog's Purpose (2017) DVD Release Dates, Retrieved April 30, 2017
  22. ^ A Dog's Purpose Blu-rayBlu-ray.com, Retrieved April 30, 2017
  23. ^ Thomas K. Arnold (May 10, 2017). "'A Dog's Purpose' Leads the Pack in DVD, Blu-ray Disc Sales". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  24. ^ Leigh Blickley (18 January 2017). "Leaked Video From 'A Dog's Purpose' Set Calls Film's Treatment Of Animals Into Question". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  25. ^ "'A Dog's Purpose' Video Shows Terrified German Shepherd Forced to Film". tmz.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  26. ^ "'A Dog's Purpose' Video Triggers Suspension". TMZ. January 18, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  27. ^ Catherine Garcia (18 January 2017). "Investigation opened into 'disturbing' treatment of German shepherd on set of A Dog's Purpose". The Week. Retrieved 18 January 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "PETA Calls for Boycott of ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ After Disturbing Video Surfaces", Dave McNary. Variety. January 18, 2017. Accessed January 18, 2017
  29. ^ Sandra Gondalez (19 January 2017). "'A Dog's Purpose' faces backlash after 'disturbing' video surfaces". CNN.com. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  30. ^ "Universal Pictures cancels premiere of 'A Dog's Purpose'". 20 January 2017.
  31. ^ Bryan Alexander (19 January 2017). "'A Dog's Purpose' reels after outrage over disturbing set video". USA Today. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  32. ^ Karen Mizoguchi (19 January 2017). "A Dog's Purpose Releases Statement Following Controversial Video: We 'Foster an Ethical, Safe Environment for Animals'". People. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  33. ^ John Boone (23 January 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Dennis Quaid Shuts Down 'A Dog's Purpose' Abuse Allegations: 'I Would Have Walked'". ETOnline. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  34. ^ "Third Party Investigation Finds No Animal Injuries, Cruelty on Set of 'A Dog's Purpose'". The Hollywood Reporter. February 4, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2017.

See also

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