Universal Pictures Film Review - A Dog's Journey

Bailey; Ethan's (Dennis Quaid) faithful Great Pyreness from A Dog's Purpose is a mature steady companion to his granddaughter C.J. (Emma Volk) as a preschooler helping to look after her as her mother Gloria (Betty Gilpin) a self-absorbed want to be performer grieves over the loss of her husband Ethan and Hanna (Marg Helgenberger's) son. Gloria is suspicious and resentful soon pulling CJ away from the family farm and her grandparents convinced they are trying to get at the inheritance left by their son for C.J. after his death. The pair settle in a new town with a new incarnation of Bailey this time a beagle named Molly looking to protect the now grade school girl as Ethan has send his spirit to her as she will need a friend given her mother's nature.

Director Gail Mancuso presents a warm- hearted film that is straight shooter with a few welcome twists. By the time C.J. is a young woman (Kathryn Prescott) she is in New York attempting to break as a singer-songwriter with Bailey's spirit now housed in a Yorkshire terrier named Max determined track her down having let her get away in his one encounter with her in the films shortest stint as African Boerboel Big Dog spending most of his days at a roadside gas station convenience stop. In New York, Max leads C.J. back to Trent (Henry Lau) as a young man who we first met as a youth (Ian Chen) when Bailey as Beagle Molly first meets C.J. in Chicago.

The story contains positive pointed messaging for the junior moviegoing set including solid lessons on following through on a promise, loyalty, friendship and standing by someone in challenging times. Kathryn Prescott of Skins fame delivers a strong performance as teenage/young adult C.J. She has been damaged due to the neglectful and selfish attitude of her mother Gloria but remains true to her songwriting path determined to perform in front of an audience when she knows the time is right. Betty Gilpin as mom Gloria is the villain of the piece. She pulls C.J. as a toddler away from the loving environment of her grandparents home, forbids any contact and leaves her young daughter home alone often at night forcing a grade school girl to fend for herself for meals and dealing with the bumps and sounds of a home on her own.

A Dog's Journey is a story about the spirit of a family pet that spans three generations. Granddad Ethan's dog Bailey jumps to two other main personas a Beagle and a Yorkshire Terrier to guide his granddaughter. The material is naturally set up to be a tear-jerker, a road that it goes down willingly but along the way,there are a couple of recurring themes in which young and older audiences alike will find valuable.

**1/2 Out of 4

A Dog's Journey | Gail Mancuso | China/ Hong Kong/ India | U.S.A.| 109 Minutes.

Tags: Farm, Great Pyrenees, Inheritance, Reincarnation, Chicago, Beagle, New York, Yorkshire Terrier, Stage Fright Cancer, Friendship, Loyality.