A Heartwarming Journey with Man’s Best Friend

An ex-Army Ranger (Channing Tatum) takes an unruly service dog on a cross-country trip to a funeral.

Via: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Channing Tatum and an unruly Belgian Malinois will play your heartstrings like a fiddle. Dog is the story of an unlikely pair’s cross-country road trip. The film tackles tough issues of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), treatment of veterans, and most importantly, what happens to service dogs after they’re deemed no longer fit. It’s highly dramatic but has great comedic moments. Dog will make you laugh, cry, and hopefully spur adoptions of these heroic animals.

Jackson Briggs (Tatum) is a medically discharged Army Ranger living in Montana. Combat injuries in Afghanistan have left him with permanent brain damage. Briggs works menial food service jobs to get by. He desperately wants employment as a contractor with a private security firm. But needs approval from his former commanding officer, Captain Jones (Luke Forbes). Briggs hounds Jones for the recommendation until a unique opportunity arrives.

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Riley Rodriguez, a former member of their unit, has been killed in a car accident. Riley’s parents want his beloved service dog Lulu at the funeral in Nogales, Arizona. Jones will sign the contractor paperwork if Briggs drives the dog to the service. Then drop her off at a local army base to be euthanized. Lulu attacks aggressively, shreds everything in sight, and runs away at the slightest sound. The army has branded her as a dangerous animal unfit for service. Briggs takes the assignment. He packs up Lulu in his old Ford Bronco for a journey that will change them both.

Channing Tatum’s Bond With The Dog

Veterans struggle to acclimate back to regular society after the horrors of war. The same goes for service dogs who often charge first into dangerous situations. Briggs and Lulu suffer from PTSD. It takes a while for Briggs to understand that he and the dog share the same affliction. Lulu, just like every animal, feels pain, loss, and the need for companionship. The scenes where they start to bond emotionally resonate. Dog reminds us that these animals cannot be forgotten. Their sacrifice cannot be viewed as bred for purpose and then cruelly discarded.

Briggs and Lulu encounter hilarious supporting characters on the trip. Briggs wants to party and get laid along the way. He quickly realizes that watching Lulu is a full-time job. Channing Tatum has a gift for physical comedy. He gets pretty beat up chasing Lulu and dealing with her wild behavior. The film puts them in awkward situations that strengthen their bond. There are teaching moments where Briggs learns to understand when Lulu is in distress. There may not be a dry eye in the theater when they arrive in Arizona. Riley’s funeral is a powerfully emotional scene.

Dog has an obvious narrative. There’s never a doubt that Briggs and Lulu are meant for each other. Audiences would revolt if anything happened to Lulu. Dog shines a light on the value of service animals after combat. They can be support companions to soldiers who need friendship and stability. Dogs will always be man’s best friend. Humanity just needs to reciprocate their unquestioning love and loyalty. Dog is a production of Gregory Jacobs, Free Association, and FilmNation Entertainment. Dog will have a theatrical release on February 18th from MGM Pictures.

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Julian Roman
(1462 Articles Published)

Film critic, raconteur, praying for dolphins to grow thumbs and do better.

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