Dog is a road comedy that marks the directorial debut of Channing Tatum, who co-directed the film with Reid Carolin, his producing partner, who also wrote the script. I’ve followed Channing’s career from the very beginning with Coach Carter, and this wasn’t the type of film I would have expected him to make his directorial debut. Still, I’m glad he didn’t try going for a crazy ambitious vanity project. Instead, this was a lovely, heartwarming story about being a soldier and friendship. It’s the type of film that gets an A on Cinemascore.
The film tracks two hard-charging former Army Rangers, Briggs and Lulu, a Belgian Malinois, paired against their will, as they race down the Pacific coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, they drive each other crazy, confront the possibility that pet psychics are real, and begin to reckon with the one thing they were trained never to do: surrender.
Channing is a very charismatic actor, and he gave an excellent performance. His character is straightforward to root for because you understand his love of being a soldier and how he wants to go back to doing the only thing he feels he is good at. Those moments, where we see how badly he wants to do another tour, allowed him to display what an underrated dramatic actor he can be. Like any army-related film, his character has some trauma/PTSD, and I feel he brought it in those scenes.
He worked great opposite, Lulu. A handful of scenes were highlighted in the trailer where we see his struggles at first to get along with her that made me smile and laugh a lot. It’s a good mix of both, being funny scenes but having a feel-good vibe. Once they start bonding as expected, there are some lovely and tender scenes.
He did a great job pacing the film for his first time behind the camera, as this ran 90 minutes and didn’t overstay its welcome. I was never bored, always entertained, and invested in what was going on. I loved going on this journey with them. I am also impressed with the great soundtrack he assembled, which I love in films. Like Briggs, Lulu has dealt with trauma from war experiences, and I loved how Channing captured that from a dog’s perspective.
No spoilers here, but there’s a Magic Mike connection that was a lovely scene that was also funny and did a great job at developing the bond of Briggs and Lulu. In addition, there’s another excellent cameo from one of my favorite comedians, and he almost stole the film, giving a Dion Waiters performance by delivering straight fire in his one scene. Finally, Ethan Suplee also makes a quick appearance as a former Soldier, who owns Lulu’s brother, and his scene was one of the best examples of how good Briggs and Lulu can work together.
I enjoyed the film, and I don’t have any issues. If I were to say anything wrong about it, I would have loved for there to be a few curveballs or surprises. As you watch, you see the trailer, or even where the story is progressing, and you can sense how the story will play out. It goes almost exactly as you expect, beat for beat.
This falls in the same category as most films revolving around a dog. It’s a film that you don’t take too seriously but enjoy its sweet nature and a great man and dog bond. A perfect movie for the family to watch. Overall, this was a solid debut for Channing, and I’m curious if he’ll decide to get behind the camera again and if he does what he would do next.
