A Dog's Purpose: Why It Is A Must-Watch

            Well, I know this is extremely late to post something akin to a movie review about A Dog's Purpose, but I just watched it, and it made me really feel like singing praises for the must-watch movie. So here it is!

Movies, nowadays, rarely manage to make us emotional in every sense of the word. Some movies are romantic and just make you want to laugh and cry at the same time with all the mushiness, while some may be tragic, making you cry buckets. Dog movies, in particular, are usually pretty unrealistic, and more often than not, animated. Marley and Me was a movie which was very realistic, and also managed to capture all the emotions of a dog-owner and dog. But then again, it is a real-life story, first written as a book, then adapted into a movie. A Dog’s Purpose, however, truly captured my heart. It is the most relatable movie possible for every dog-lover (more so for dog-owners), and would even win the hearts of people who’re scared of them! It also manages to make you laugh at the cuteness, cry at the sad bits, and even grip your seat in suspense at some point.

            The movie, adapted from a book of the same name written by W. Bruce Cameron, is about a dog (obviously), exploring his purpose in life. Sounds pretty deep and philosophical, doesn’t it? But dogs are simple beings who don’t have the ability for deep thoughts (at least, that’s how we humans perceive them), and this dog’s story is full of ups and downs, with more happy thoughts (about food!) than deep, philosophical ones. Every dog-owner must have thought, at least at some point, “What is my dog thinking right now?” or, “If this little guy could talk, what would he tell me?” ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ captures the essence of what a dog’s thought process might be. It explores the various roles a dog could play in this world (not all dogs are pet dogs, right?), like a police-dog, a pet (of course), a stray, etc.

            It is a roller-coaster of emotions, signifying the ups and downs of a dog’s life. That of a pet dog is shown to revolve completely around its owner (adorable as dogs are, that’s probably the absolute truth) and the movie perfectly portrays the life of a normal person as seen from the dog’s eyes. So it is hilarious and happy one second, and then, all of a sudden, it’s sad! And then it’s happy again (see what I meant by ‘roller-coaster’?). We could say that dogs’ innocent interpretation of human emotions throughout the length of the movie is the highlight of the film, and the writer deserves appreciation for his unique ideas. Hats off to the director and other crew involved in making the movie, too, for such a satisfying show!

            The movie has managed to show, in its short 2 hours, more than three full lifespans of a dog, successfully capturing all the emotions involved (the dog’s emotions as well as the human’s). The hilarity of the typical “puppy dog” face and the possible emotions behind it (food!), its sadness, innocence, loyalty towards the owner…they have all been captured beautifully. There is not a single boring moment in the entire movie, and even though it is more relatable for dog-owners, the common public would enjoy it just as much, because of the sheer cuteness of the dogs!

In conclusion, it is my humble opinion that Hollywood, Bollywood and all the other ‘wood’s make more movies like this remarkably refreshing one.