Review: I did not like A Dog's Purpose much at all. I found it forced, emotional uninvolving and terribly unfunny. With this I did not go into this movie expecting to even like it a little. I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, in no way do I think this is a great movie, but I enjoyed it for what it was.
One thing that I think makes this movie better than the first movie is that it spends more time focusing on the human characters. To be honest Bailey is not that great of a character. He is simply a stereotype of dogs with little unique about him. More than that his narration in the previous film as well as this film is annoyingly cutesy and unfunny. So shifting the focus to other characters was a definite plus. I really like CJ. She is a good hearted person, who knows what she wants out of life, but has some very real and understandable fears tying her down, as well as making some understandably human mistakes. Her relationship with her best friend Trent is very charming. I like seeing these two together as they have a natural unforced chemistry. As many of you know after movies another passion of mine is music, so I could easily relate to her love and passion for music (plus I liked seeing a poster of my favorite singer, Johnny Cash, on her wall). Also while I am not a huge dog person, I am a horse lover for life. Due to this I fully understand how an animal can touch the inside of your soul and make you feel less alone in this world. Because of this I fully get why having a dog is such a comfort to a child who is always alone.
The story is very cliché and while I like CJ a lot of the other characters are as well. The movie can also feel a bit overlong and respective. Certain parts (such as Big Dog) could have easily been left on the cutting room floor and the movie would have flowed much better for it. Also with the clichés, you know what is going to happen before it does many times. However if you have seen the preview you would know what is going to happen often before seeing the movie, as it gives way too much away.
This is not a great movie by any means, but for a sequel to a movie I didn't like, it was a very pleasant surprise.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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