A Dog's Purpose (2017)

A dog looks to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners.

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

W. Bruce Cameron (screenplay), Cathryn Michon (screenplay)

Stars:

Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Josh Gad	...	Bailey / Ellie / Tino / Buddy (voice)
Dennis Quaid	...	Adult Ethan
Peggy Lipton	...	Adult Hannah
Bryce Gheisar	...	Ethan - 8 Years Old
K.J. Apa	...	Teen Ethan (as KJ Apa)
Juliet Rylance	...	Ethan's Mom
Luke Kirby	...	Ethan's Dad
Gabrielle Rose	...	Grandma Fran
Michael Bofshever	...	Grandpa Bill
Britt Robertson	...	Teen Hannah
Logan Miller	...	Todd
Kirby Howell-Baptiste	...	Maya
Pooch Hall	...	Al
John Ortiz	...	Carlos
Nicole LaPlaca	...	Wendi

Storyline

A dog looks to discover his purpose in life over the course of several lifetimes and owners.

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Plot Keywords:

deflated football | dog | grandparents | firecracker | reincarnation | 

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Taglines:

Some pets stay with you forever

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements and some peril

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA India

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

La razón de estar contigo

Filming Locations:

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,222,810, 29 January 2017, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$64,304,940, 5 May 2017

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$165,142,855, 19 March 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amblin Entertainment, Amblin Partners, Pariah Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Datasat DTS (DTS: X) SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prior to theatrical release, controversy arose when behind-the-scenes footage surfaced and appeared to show a distressed dog being forcibly submerged into turbulent pool water during filming. As a result of the leaked footage, the filmmakers chose to cancel the U.S. premiere. However, it was announced on February 4, 2017 by the American Humane Association that the footage was misleadingly edited and no abuse had taken place.

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Goofs

In 1961 or '2, Ethan is shown reading an apparently new issue of Captain America. This series had been out of print since 1953, until it was revived by Marvel Comics in 1964.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bailey: [narrating] What is the meaning of life? Are we here for a reason? Is there a point to any of this?
[a litter of puppies]
Bailey: First, I had no idea what was going on. I... I couldn't see a thing. It was warm. There was my mother. Every day, I had fun. Was having fun the point? The whole point? No, it couldn't be that simple.
Dog Catcher: Here's one...
Bailey: And then it was over.
Dog Catcher: That's it for you.
[put him into his truck]
Bailey: No more fun. It seemed like such a short life. I mean, what exactly did I do? There was...

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Connections

Features Dynasty (1981)

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Soundtracks

Score from Gunsmoke
[from Gunsmoke (1955)]
Written by Rex Koury, Leith Stevens, Lucien Moraweck, and René Garriguenc
Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting, Inc.

User Reviews

A Dog's Purpose smear tactic

Don't believe these people that were paid off or have an agenda regarding the success or failure of this movie. TMZ and others are scum for doctoring the footage.

Go see it. The rescue animals deserve their recognition. Perhaps the dog was not used to the generated waves created by the machine. He probably enjoys swimming and jumping in pools of water. The handlers may have not been patient enough or understanding what the director was trying to accomplish. I'm certain that if you saw the tape of the dog after the scene was filmed, he was thrilled to be participating in the water scene. Did you happen to watch Kevin Costner's Wyatt Earp where there tossed the dog into a man-made river where the dog was doing everything it could to keep its head above water.