Dog

Dog marks Channing Tatum's first on-screen leading role since 2017's  Logan Lucky, as well as his filmmaking debut, as he co-directed the film with Reid Carolin.  The end result is a crowd-pleasing film that, despite a lot of familiarity, does throw in a few curves, and manages to be easy to watch.  It's a simple road trip comedy-drama film about two wounded soldiers, one a veteran and the other a military dog, and whether they can help each other.  I'm sure the conclusion the film reaches won't surprise anyone in the audience, but Tatum shows his usual on-screen charm, and also shows that he's learned quite a bit from some of the famous directors he's worked with over the years.

Tatum's Jackson Briggs is a former US Army Ranger who has been having a hard time adjusting back to civilian life, as well as having to deal with the frequent physical pains that come from a traumatic brain injury that he endured.  He's doing his best to hide the pain so that his superior officer will sign off on him doing a private security job.  The plot kicks off when Briggs is entrusted with a former Army Ranger canine named Lulu, and must drive her cross country so that she can attend the funeral of her former handler.  The handler, a friend of Briggs', had not been the same since coming home from war, and drove his car into a tree.  Now his family wants the dog to be there at his funeral.

The thing is, Lulu has not been the same since leaving the war either, and is highly aggressive.  The military has been unable to adapt her to a civilian life, and so after the funeral, they are planning to euthanize her.  Jackson must drive Lulu to attend the handler's funeral, then he must drop her back off at the base so that she can be put down.  I'm sure there will be little suspense within the audience as to whether or not Jackson and Lulu will be able to form some kind of bond, and help one another heal their own individual after effects of serving their country.  And yet, the journey that the two take has a few unexpected details.  The characters that they meet along the way are not the usual plugged in "oddball" types that usually inhabit these road trip movies.

Dog may not be surprising in its narrative, but it finds small ways to stand out.  For one thing, I think this may be the first Hollywood movie set around a dog in a very long time that does not feel the need to include a poop joke.  It also finds a few fresh ways to handle some familiar scenes.  When Jackson makes a brief stop in order to visit his ex-wife and young daughter, we wait for the inevitable confrontation scene, yet the way the movie handles it is much more quiet and sad, making it heartbreaking and defeating instead of an acting showcase.  We actually don't get to see the conversation itself, but the way the movie handles it is much more effective dramatically than if we had.  It's also nice that the movie focuses not on war flashbacks for its human lead to overcome, but rather he's fighting migraines and random seizures.  He is constantly trying to convince himself that he is okay, but finds himself fighting a losing battle, and it leads to a scene with Lulu that is touching.

There is a sadness to the film, but it is not overwhelming, and the movie is also certain to have some fun with its premise, such as when Jackson cons his way into letting Lulu and him stay overnight in a suite at a luxury hotel.  And yet, even during its lighter moments, the movie does not let us forget that these two are headed for a funeral of someone who meant a lot to both of them, and that these might be the dog's final days.  Yes, the conclusion is predetermined, but the movie is still able to hold our interest, because it so expertly mixes the comic dog antics with a genuine heartfelt and emotional story.  And for his first time behind the camera, Tatum shows that he's willing to let certain shots linger just long enough, and to let some scenes be quiet when they need to be.

Dog is highly effective at what it sets out to do, and while the ad campaign is heavily centered on the dog antics, this is not really a kid's film.  The movie earns its PG-13 rating with some scenes dealing with the harsh reality of soldiers coming home.  It may not be the most surprising movie out there, but it knows what it's doing, and earns its emotions without too much forced sentiment.

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