If you’re the type of person who considers your pets part of the family, this film will speak to your heart. It’s a stirring tale of the many ways dogs enrich our lives.
Ethan Montgomery is a solitary 1960s boy whose family gets ‘chosen’ by Bailey, a feisty young retriever escaped from a puppy mill. The dog becomes Ethan’s shadow, staying with him through trials and joys and enriching his life in countless ways. But even when elderly Bailey dies, it’s not the end of his influence on humans. He finds a way to bring love and hope to future generations of lonely people. Josh Gad voices Bailey, and K.J. Apa and Dennis Quaid play teenage and adult Ethan.
This film carries a positive message for families teaching their kids that pets are more than possessions. It’s based on the W. Bruce Cameron novel, and told from the dog’s viewpoint. The film has been the focus of questions about treatment of movie-set animals, though none were shown to have been harmed in the making. In any case, it doesn’t dull the message that beloved pets stay with us always, and their worth is beyond measure.
Should You See It? Yes. It’s a moving look at the unbreakable bonds between humans and animals.
Viewed at The Esquire