“Dog” Review
Channing Tatum codirects and stars in “Dog” as a veteran who must drive a dog across the West Coast for a friend’s funeral.
With a film like “Dog,” it’s pretty easy to tell whether or not you will like it. If you like Channing Tatum, road trip films or comedies with dogs, then you will probably find some enjoyment in this film. “Dog” is a fun film with well-earned moments of heart that make a basic film worth the price of admission.
Jackson Briggs (Channing Tatum) is an Army Ranger who wants to go on another tour despite a variety of injuries. When a friend of his dies, Briggs is entrusted with driving that friend’s military dog named Lulu from Washington to Arizona for the funeral. While the dog is incredibly hostile to Briggs, having served seven tours in Afghanistan alongside Briggs, they eventually start to bond and bring out the best in each other.
Both Tatum and the film’s screenwriter, Reid Carolin, codirect the film and it’s your basic road trip. They meet interesting characters but the main focus is the bond between Briggs and Lulu. What makes this film investing is Tatum’s vulnerable, yet likable performance as someone who only knows war. His main goal is to bring Lulu to the funeral so he can get a recommendation for overseas service because that’s all he knows.
The moments Briggs has with Lulu are the typical kind of adorable you expect, but it’s still welcoming. What the film has to say about veterans and their condition following years of war is more subtle than a film like “Brothers” or “American Sniper.” However, given that the film has so many lighthearted moments that’s almost expected.
But just because it’s subtle, doesn’t mean that it’s ineffective. Just seeing the scars on Briggs’ body is enough to know what he’s been through. It’s said that Lulu’s owner died in a car crash and the film heavily implies that he took his own life. The film has a great balance of humor and realism that make “Dog” more than a disposable comedy.
Like most road trip films, there’s several characters that Briggs meet along the way that bring them closer together. Ethan Suplee gives a touching performance as a veteran and friend of Briggs who helps him bond with Lulu and understand the toll war takes on a person. Meanwhile, Bill Burr has a cameo in the film that will make you laugh hard.
At the end of the day, “Dog” is your standard road trip comedy with a cute animal. But there is a charm to it that can’t be denied. This could have easily been the most basic, cookie cutter film for audiences to see and immediately forget about. But something tells me “Dog” will stay with me for a while.
