Dog (2022)

Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois) race down the Pacific Coast to get to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time.

DOG is consistently labelled as a comedy wherever it is mentioned in advertising or databases. But if you go into DOG expecting a comedy, you’d be disappointed. It isn’t. While there is some humour, overall, DOG is a drama dealing with PTSD and grief. Unfortunately, the mental health themes are treated superficially which undermines the quality of the film.

Channing Tatum is good as Briggs and the dog and Tatum work well together on screen. The story moves along at a good pace and, while there is some cheesy dialogue and it’s all predictable, it’s enjoyable enough. But I’d suggest waiting for it to come to streaming services if you want to see it. And it’s not for kids — and not just because Tatum doesn’t wear a seatbelt throughout the whole movie!

(In cinemas in Australia – check your movie guide for your local show times.) 

OTHER MOVIES I’VE SEEN:

• LOVELAND (2022) – In an uncharted future, two hardened souls meet and confront each other with the things they have done and what they have become. ****
• THE ADAM PROJECT (2022) – After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed teams up with his 12-year-old self for a mission to save the future. ***½
• RIVER (2022) – A cinematic and musical odyssey that explores the remarkable relationship between humans and rivers. ***
• THE RESCUE (2021) – A chronicle of the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and their coach from deep inside a flooded cave in Northern Thailand. ****