[I]f a movie’s success depends on the audience buying into a relationship, the film should take some time to establish that relationship.
Channing Tatum stars as Jackson Briggs, a former Army Ranger looking to get back into the service. After suffering head trauma, he’s been relieved of duty. He’s repeatedly tried to get reinstated as a Ranger but has been denied. Finally, he gets a chance to prove himself when his former captain gives him a task to complete.
Briggs is to take Lulu, a Belgian Malinois that has served as an Army Ranger herself, to the funeral of her former handler. Like Briggs, she has suffered trauma from her time in the military and has been relieved of duty. Briggs is to drive the dog from Oregon to Arizona so she can attend the funeral. Lulu is scheduled to be put down the following day. If Briggs can complete the journey without incident, the captain will make the call to get him reinstated to the Rangers. Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a movie if everything went smoothly.
Without spoiling anything, it’s pretty apparent that Dog‘s goal is to pair Briggs and Lulu and have them heal each other on the trip. But, if a movie’s success depends on the audience buying into a relationship, the film should take some time to establish that relationship. And Dog barely delivers on that aspect. Most of the time, Briggs treats Lulu as an annoyance or a means to an end. As a result, the film’s climax rang a bit hollow.
Tatum, who co-directed with screenwriter Reid Carolin, delivers a decent enough performance as a man lost without the structure of the military. And, by far, he is the best thing about the movie. Since the film is primarily focused on Briggs and Lulu, the rest of the cast is peppered with what amount to extended cameos. Standing out are Jane Adams and former wrestler Kevin Nash as pacifist weed farmers.
Dog was marketed as a family-friendly road comedy featuring the exploits of a man and a dog as they journey across the country. While it does feature some comedic moments, the core of the film deals with mental health, PTSD, and anxiety. I’m not sure the many young children in the audience at the screening I attended were expecting that. Nor were their parents. But it isn’t that bait-and-switch that makes Dog disappointing.
2.0 out of 5.0 stars
