Netflix is just full of surprises, even when coming out of a long holiday weekend.
Typically, the top films on Netflix’s movie charts are action-oriented in some way. But one of the streamer’s latest additions, Dog, is anything but an action film.
Instead, this modestly budgeted 2022 drama starring Channing Tatum is now a streaming hit on Netflix three years after its theatrical release.
Now that the film has picked up an audience, it’s time for Watch With Us to share the three reasons to watch Dog on Netflix.
It’s a Passion Project For the Directors
Tatum not only stars in this film, he also directed it with his frequent producing partner, Reid Carolin, from a story by Carolin and Brett Rodriguez. This movie marked the end of a five-year hiatus between live-action movies for Tatum, but he was drawn back to the screen by this project. He plays Jackson Briggs, a combat veteran who is escorting a former military dog, Lulu, across the country for the funeral of his friend and her former handler.
During an interview with Yahoo News, Tatum noted that the inspiration for this story was a road trip he took with his terminally ill dog, who was also named Lulu. In the film, Briggs only takes this assignment because he hopes it means the army will redeploy him despite his lingering brain trauma. However, Lulu is prone to violence after serving in the war. She’s broken, and so is Briggs. The only difference between them is that she may be euthanized over her condition, while he has to keep on living.
‘Dog’ Is a Love Story About Man’s Best Friend
This film is listed as a comedy/drama, but it’s more of the latter than the former. What laughs there are in the movie come from Tatum’s interactions with the dog and Briggs’ attempt to pass himself off as a blind veteran to earn a comped stay at a luxury hotel. Most of the time, Briggs comes off just as emotionally wounded as Lulu is. That’s where Tatum is at his most convincing as an actor.
In its own way, this movie is a love story between a dysfunctional dog and her equally defective human companion. Briggs and Lulu don’t immediately take to each other, but the audience gets to see the levels of trust they build with each other. Theirs is a bond that doesn’t need words to seal it, although Tatum does enough talking for both of them. He makes the audience believe that Briggs has come to deeply cherish Lulu, and she is the thing that makes him a human being.
The Animal Performers Are Very Convincing
Animal performers don’t always get their due, but they’re also acting on-screen even though they don’t understand the reasoning behind it. In this film, Lulu was played by three dog performers, Britta, Zuza and Lana, all of whom were identical Belgian Malinois breeds.
Since the dogs were identical, it’s difficult to tell which one performed which scene. But when Lulu needed to look fierce, afraid or emotionally comforting, the canine in question always conveyed exactly what they were supposed to at that moment in the film. Not every human actor can hit their marks like that. These dogs were well-trained, and their collective performances in the movie helped make it a satisfying and emotional story.
Dog is streaming on Netflix.
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