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 by), Cathryn Michon (screenplay by)

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

Lasse Hallström "The Hundred-Foot Journey" directed this adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron, which follows a dog voiced by Josh Gad as he is reincarnated as different breeds belonging to various owners. Over the course of multiple lifetimes, the canine's existence intersects with that of a young boy who rescued him in 1962.

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Plot Keywords:

deflated football | dog | reincarnation | grandparents | firecracker | 

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Taglines:

The ones we rescue, rescue us.

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Name connection, possibly made deliberately by the filmmakers. When Bailey is reincarnated as the corgi and adopted by Maya, there is A-Ha's "Take on me" being played. The actress/model who appears in the original song video (not shown in the movie) is named Bunty Bailey.

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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 some...

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Connections

Referenced in Honest Trailers: John Wick (2017)

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Soundtracks

All I Ever Wanted
Written by Carlos Santana, Alex Ligertwood (as Alexander John Ligertwood), and Chris Solberg (as Christopher James Solberg)
Performed by Santana
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Ignore PETA and their smear campaign. This is a wonderful film for the entire family

This is a wonderful, heartwarming film about a dog that lives several lives with different families via reincarnation. Oh yes, and the dog is the narrator too.

A little hokey? Yes.

A perfect film? No.

Does it satisfy the needs for parents wanting to take their kids to a film that celebrates how awesome dogs are? YES.

Will dog loving audiences enjoy this film, absolutely.

Given all the bad press and reviews of this film, I was expecting the theatre to be empty, but it was packed. Further, everyone applauded at the end. And it deserved that because it was fun and brought smiles and tears aplenty.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA India

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 January 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Dog's Purpose

Filming Locations:

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,222,810, 29 January 2017

Gross USA:

$64,508,620

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$205,736,628

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dreamworks Pictures, Walden Media, Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1