A Dog's Purpose is manipulative, but you'll still cry

Movie Title:   A Dog's Purpose (DVD)

Grade:  C+

Rating:  PG, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell:   This sugary-sweet family flick feels like a Hallmark card that blends reincarnation with one dog’s discovery about what his purpose is.  We could all learn a lesson from him. 

Life lessons learned from a dog:
• Have fun. Obviously.
• Whenever possible, find someone to save and save them.
• Lick the ones you love. 
• Don’t get all sad-faced about what happened and scrunchy-faced about what could; just be here now.  Be. Here. Now.

Things I liked:
• Josh Gad’s voice is unmistakable and awesome.
• Britt Robertson seems to be in every family-friendly movie lately.  She’s adorable and so doggone likable.
• Other likable cast members include Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, KJ Apa, and Jon Ortiz.
•   It's a film version of W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling novel in 2010.
• Puppies!
* If you've ever lived with a dog, you'll be able to relate to many of the
moments in the movie.

Things I didn’t like:
• It’s manipulative for sure, but you’ll still cry.
• Children will enjoy it, but a lot of adults will mostly tolerate it on their kids’ behalf.
• The trailer pretty much tells you the whole story.
• You’ll feel sad about the times you didn’t play with your dog.
• There are quite a few sad death scenes.
• There are some dogs on the movie poster that are never shown in the movie.  For example, the dog never becomes a pug.

• PETA and TMZ have created a lot of stink about animals that may have been harmed in the making of this movie, but those involved in the film say their reports are inaccurate and misleading.
• The dog reports on what he sees happening from a dog’s perspective, which is often amusing, but not funny enough to evoke actual laughter from the audience.



Interesting lines:
• “If I can get you licking and loving, I’ve served my purpose.” - dog    (This line is in the trailer, but not in the actual movie.)
• “Life’s a mystery.” - Ethan•

Funny lines: 
• “I got a name. My name is Bailey, Bailey, Bailey, Bailey.” – Bailey

Tips for parents:   
• Young children will probably like it, although the reincarnation aspect of the story will be confusing for them.  You’ll need to decide if you’re going to affirm that as true doctrine or instead, teach the principle of resurrection.
* You see Bailey die over and over again.
*  There are some dark story lines that include a gunshot death (with blood), domestic fights, drunkenness, kidnapping, a prank that burns a house down, and people who don't treat dogs well.
*  Clean language.
*  Kissing.

The Space Between Us has a lot of empty spaces in theater seats

Movie Title:   The Space Between Us

Grade:   B

Rating:  PG-13, 120 minutes

• In a Nutshell:  This is kind of a modern version of the old Starman film about STAR-crossed lovers. Writer/Director  Peter Chelsom has given us some truly mediocre films.  Sadly, this is another one.  Fun fact: He voices Centaur in the movie.

For a movie about science, there wasn't a lot of chemistry on the screen.

Uplifting theme: 

• Our most valuable resource on Earth is courage.
• “Just because something sounds crazy, doesn’t mean it’s not true.” – Gardner
• “You don’t know how far away you are until there’s someone you want to be near.” – Gardner
• What is your favorite thing about Earth?
• We live on a truly magnificent planet and need to enjoy every minute we get to live on it.
• Humanity, friendship, loneliness
• Both Gardner and Tulsa want to feel close to someone and be a part of a family.  In the great universe of space, there is small part of every human's soul to want to belong.

Things I liked:

• Disney is in love with Britt Robertson.  She’s definitely adorable and makes us believe she’s truly in love with whoever the lead actor is.  Her romantic leads have been much older men in other movies, so I wonder how she felt being with the young Asa Butterfield.  
• Asa Butterfield does a good job walking “heavy” in the beginning, as he tries to get used to gravity.
• Carla Gugino looks like she has been living at the gym lately and looks fantastic.  Her character’s name is Kendra.  If I had a daughter, I would have named her Kendra. 
• There are some really beautiful images of outer space, Earth, and everything in between.
• You can SEE the sonic boom as the spaceship takes off through the atmosphere. That was cool.
• That clear laptop used by Sarah’s brother (played by Colin Egglesfield) looked awesome.
• There is a tiny twist that helped save the ending for me.
• It cracked me up when Gardner was in Las Vegas (where I live) and made the following accurate observation, “It’s like a big toy.  It’s not real.”  True.  My oldest son didn’t grow up in Las Vegas and calls the city a “gold-encrusted turd.” 
• I liked when Tulsa looked up at all of the hot air balloons in the sky and finally grinned, recognizing that this earth we live on is pretty special.
• Self-driving car!  Yes!
• Aurora Borealis!  That’s on my Bucket List!
• The stunt double for both Britt Robertson and Carla Gugino is named Trina!  Woohoo!  Great name!
• It’s appropriate that the name of the Mars project is Genesis.
• Did you notice the pretty frosted glass chairs in the hangar at the beginning of the movie? 
• I chuckled out loud when I saw “Kick me” written on the back of Gardner’s robot.

Things I didn’t like:

• It almost pulled tears out of my eyes, but my tear ducts felt too manipulated and refused to cooperate with the director's plan.
• Tulsa and Gardner go on a romantic crime spree, stealing cars and other things while they try to run from their "mean" pursuers.
• Quite a few parts of the story line are absolutely ridiculous.
• This movie had a LOT of very young-looking Extras, which made it look like a movie, rather than real life.
• It always bugs me when the movie trailer has lines or moments that never actually show up in the movie.  That being said, the trailer pretty much sums up the movie, minus the small twist at the end.

Interesting lines:

• “The world doesn’t give you exactly what you want.” – Tulsa
• “Just because people lied to you before doesn’t mean I’m lying to you.” – Gardner
• “We’re running out of time and Mother Nature does not negotiate.” – Nathaniel Shepherd (Gary Oldman)

Funny lines:

• “I’m on a road trip with an insane person.” – Tulsa
• “You’re taller than I thought you’d be.” – Tulsa

“You’re meaner than I thought you’d be.” - Gardner

Romantic lines:

• What’s your favorite thing about earth?” – Gardner

“You are, Gardner.” – Tulsa

• “How did you become more beautiful in 20 seconds?” - Gardner
• “You make me human.” – Gardner

Tips for parents:   

• Pre-marital relations between teenagers.
• Teens steal cars and participate in other illegal and irresponsible behavior, all free of consequences.
• Discussion about foster care and Social Services.
• Pre-teens who often feel disenfranchised or misunderstood will enjoy this film.