Dog

2022   Amazon MGM Studios

Rated: PG-13

Length:  1 hr  41min

Comedy ~ Drama

Directed by:  Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin.

Starring:  Channing Tatum, Jane Adams, Kevin Nash, Q’orianka Kilcher, Ethan Suplee, Emmy Raver-Lampman, and Nicole LaLiberte.

“A filthy animal unfit for human company and a…DOG”

SYNOPSIS (From The Movie Website):

In this road-trip comedy, two hard-charging former Army Rangers paired against their will — Briggs (Channing Tatum) and a Belgian Malinois named Lulu — race down the Pacific Coast in hopes of making it to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time. Along the way, they’ll drive each other completely crazy, confront the possibility that pet psychics are real, and begin to reckon with the one thing they were trained never to do: surrender.

THE BACK STORY:

The Road Trip:

In Channing Tatum’s Interview with Ethan Alter at Yahoo Entertainment News, he talks about how his one last road trip with his real life Dog Lulu inspired the movie Dog.

Channing Tatum is a big believer in channeling grief into art. In 2018, the Magic Mike star hit the road for one last ride with his longtime canine companion, Lulu — a pit bull Catahoula mix he shared with his ex-wife, Jenna Dewan. Diagnosed with cancer, Lulu didn’t have long for the world and Tatum wanted to make every last moment with her count.

“When I went on my last road trip with my puppy, [I experienced] that feeling of, ‘There’s nothing I can do. There’s nothing left to do,'” he tells Yahoo Entertainment now. “You just have to accept it and be thankful for the time that you did get and know that they’re not supposed to be here forever. I’m supposed to go on and she has to go someplace else.” 

But that last road trip with Lulu also marked a new beginning for Tatum. The experience served as the touchstone for the new drama, Dog, his first starring role since 2017’s Logan Lucky, and the first film that he’s directed alongside his regular collaborator, Reid Carolin. In the film, Tatum plays Briggs, an army veteran who is tasked with driving a skittish military dog — a Dutch Shepard appropriately named Lulu — hundreds of miles to her handler’s funeral, giving them plenty of time to tussle, and bond, along the way.

The Dogs:

In the MovieMaker article by Margeaux Sippell on July 3, 2024 she reveals how three dogs played the part of Lulu in the Movie Dog:

There are actually three different dogs who played Lulu. Their names are Britta, Lana 5, and Zuza, and though they look similar to German Shepherds, they’re actually Belgian Malinois, a breed well suited to police or military work. The production team got them from a kennel in Amsterdam that trains dogs for military service. And the story of how the three dogs got adopted by their current owners is just as heartwarming as the movie itself.

“They’re such high energy, aggressive dogs that they each got assigned to a trainer, and the trainers all said at the very beginning, ‘There’s no way we’re taking these dogs home, so we have to figure out when the movie’s over what we’re going to do, who we’re going to adopt them out to,’” Carolin said. 

Then the pandemic hit, and production was halted for nine months — giving Tatum and the trainers ample time to work with each dog to get them ready for the movie. The result was a powerful bonding experience that started out reluctant, just like the plot of the movie, but ended with all three of the trainers deciding to adopt the dogs they worked with.

THE REVIEW:

Do you like Channing Tatum? 

a) NO ~ Don’t Watch 

b) Yes ~ Continue on

Do you like Dogs?

a) NO ~ Don’t Watch 

b) Yes ~ Continue on

Seriously if you don’t like dogs than this isn’t the movie for you, and if you’re not a Channing Tatum fan you’re probably not going to like it. Because it is a Dog movie, aimed right at Dog lovers. If you’ve ever had a dog, you know what I mean. They become a family member, you become very attached to them.

Well now that I’ve said that, I might have been wrong………….maybe you are a cat lover (Or a pet-lover period) that LOVES, I mean LOVES Channing Tatum. Then you might like it because you can relate to the story about a pet that you absolutely became emotionally attached to, and you want to watch Channing in action. Ok, my bad…….. Carry on.

Bur Seriously, it is that kind of movie. A guy and his dog go on one last road trip and bond. Yup, you know what I mean, right to the heart this one. I liked it but I am a dog lover and a Channing Tatum fan. There were good laughs and drama on that road trip. Definitely entertaining and heartwarming.

So really, what’s not to like? There’s Channing Tatum, there’s a gorgeous Belgian Malinois (actually three), there’s Marijauna (if that makes you happy……), Pet Psychics, Tantra Healing (I think mine needs some healing…), a vintage Ford Bronco (I want one..), and a road trip (I’m ready, let’s go!).

Yes, you should watch it. I did and liked it.

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From Channing Tatum’s Facebook Post:

A little over a year ago I got back from a road trip where I said goodbye to my best friend. Now I’m making a movie inspired by her. So proud to announce that DOG will be released by MGM Studios and in theaters next Valentine’s Day weekend. March 2, 2020