43
Metascore
32 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80New York Daily NewsAriel ScottiNew York Daily NewsAriel ScottiThe film is both heartwarming and soul-shattering. Its theme of an unbreakable bond between man and his best friend is reminiscent of "My Dog Skip," "Homeward Bound" and "Old Yeller."
- 60VarietyAndrew BarkerVarietyAndrew BarkerViewed in a vacuum, it’s hard to fault the movie’s earnestness; Hallström’s canine cinema pedigree (which includes the superior “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale”) shows through; and Rachel Portman’s score is understandably sentimental without going completely saccharine.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckWhile the human performers are more than adequate, there’s no doubt that the canine stars carry the day. Their utter irresistibility helps a long way in terms of getting past the corny plot machinations of A Dog’s Purpose.
- 55TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeA Dog’s Purpose offers many of the highlights of human-canine relations at their warmest and most affectionate, but the film chooses to skim on sun-dappled surfaces (Terry Stacey of “Elvis and Nixon” was the cinematographer) and sentimentality (Rachel Portman’s score bombards the heartstrings) when it might have gone deeper
- 50Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s all harmless enough, with the odd lump-in-the-throat moment as another dog meets his or her end. As a lifelong dog owner, I found the going rather grim.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperChicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperSure, we get the obligatory slapstick dog-shtick in the form of overturned food carts and disastrous dinner scenes and wacky chases, and there are some uplifting moments — but the overall mood of Lasse Hallstrom’s pup-point-of-view film is … melancholy, sometimes even grim.
- 40We Got This CoveredMatt DonatoWe Got This CoveredMatt DonatoA Dog's Purpose goes the Collateral Beauty route by preying on sadness and not earning its emotional reactions.
- 30The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerYou don’t need an animal-rights group’s boycott to give you permission to avoid A Dog’s Purpose. You can skip it just because it’s clumsily manipulative dreck.
- 11Austin ChronicleAustin ChronicleA misguided and utterly tone-deaf Hallmark card to the canis lupus familiaris and the people who love them.