The Boutham family was eating dinner with “A Day In the Life” playing on the speakers, and that led to talking about watching movies due to “having read the book.” That led to a three-way agreement that Marley and Me was a lousy movie. And that led to the daughter saying that she didn’t like movies about dogs. “They start out as puppies and end up dying.”
So, we tried to think of good movies about dogs. Everyone liked Best In Show but really the dogs aren’t that important to the movie. Some are cute, but the human/dog bond isn’t that intense and neither are the dog’s personalities very strongly felt.
The animated Disney movies are good. I like 101 Dalmations. Of course, it’s not about actual dog-like behavior. Haven’t liked the live action Disney too much, such as Eight Below, or Iron Will.
I’ve only caught Old Yellar and *Incredible Journey *(?) in bits and pieces…
But let’s throw this out to the listening audience… what are the best movies that feature a dog.
Balto.
Air Bud (just the first one. Stop there.)
Homeward Bound (a movie version of “Incredible Journey”–there were two, apparently.)
All Dogs Go to Heaven (ok, about as realistic as 101 Dalmations… but still.)
Bolt is an animated feature starring a dog, and we really enjoyed it–he’s a showbiz dog who doesn’t know he’s in showbiz, so it’s a bit like The Truman Show, but also, he’s a dog that doesn’t know the real dog world. And then he’s in it and…well, I won’t spoil it for you. It was cute. My favorite bit might have been the montage where he learns dog behavior; he gives a great WTF face when a dog play bows at him. And the pigeons are animated really well.
I agree with your daughter - I don’t like movies about dogs either. Even if they don’t die, there’s always some sad bits. The entire premise of Homeward Bound was sad (lost animals!). My Dog Skip had me blubbering like a baby when the boy ditched Skip.
Has anyone seen Hotel For Dogs? Any sad bits in there?
Turner and Hootch is another movie I’m only seen in bits and pieces during channel surfing. Maybe I’ll put it in the queue.
However, part of the reason that I didn’t like “Marley and Me” was because the “ill behaved dogs are endearing” idea doesn’t appeal to me any more than the “ill behaved teenage boys are funny” idea. So, I’m a little afraid of Turner.
A Boy and His Dog was a film I watched due to “having read the book,” and it didn’t match my expectations. But it is the kind of plot that could have been a really good dog movie. The dog in the story wasn’t a conventional dog of course, but the rich human/animal bond was shown very well.
It was cute. My favorite bit might have been the montage where he learns dog behavior; he gives a great WTF face when a dog play bows at him. And the pigeons are animated really well.