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Is “A Dog’s Journey” one of the sweetest canine films out there, or one of the meanest? While I generally favor the latter reading, the gentle sniffling mixed with occasional awws and chuckles that broke out during my screening suggests the majority of the audiences will understandably lean otherwise, as they did with the film’s 2017 predecessor, “A Dog’s Purpose.” In theory, this unconditional affection seems mighty unjust for a shameless family franchise that kills an average of four to five dogs per movie, sometimes, in unspeakably wretched fashions—seriously, where is John Wick when you need him? And yet, as visually uninspired and ideologically conservative as it may be, there seems to be something beguiling about the series that keeps one (including myself, admittedly) on a short leash. Turns out, very few are immune to the sneaky suggestion that certain dogs and humans are meant for each other for life.   

This is indeed the philosophy behind TV veteran Gail Mancuso ’s “A Dog’s Journey,” which follows in the paw prints of its Lasse Hallström-directed ancestor with its assembly line of doggie fatalities. (Every dog-loving cinephile’s most cherished website “DoesTheDogDie.com” must be having a field trip with these films.) And before you cry out “spoiler alert,” know that spelling out the mounting corpses of our four-legged furry pals in these tearjerkers is not exactly a wrongdoing. Adapted from W. Bruce Cameron’s best-selling novels, the pair of syrupy films follows a Buddhist philosophy, imagining a world in which a dog’s spirit reincarnates in the body of a new adorable puppy (somehow, voiced by Josh Gad even when it’s a female) and pursues its original human to eternity.

“Journey” picks up where “Purpose” had left off, dropping us on a tranquil Midwestern farm ran by the impossibly wholesome couple Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ) and his wife Hannah ( Marg Helgenberger ). Their carefree “Boss Dog” Bailey, a handsome Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, runs around the picturesque fields and happily chases his own tail, while keeping a watchful eye on Ethan and Hannah’s baby granddaughter CJ (affably played by Abby Ryder and Kathryn Presscott in later ages), parented by the couple’s heavy-drinking widowed daughter-in-law Gloria ( Betty Gilpin ). Bailey exits the picture soon enough—poor Boss Dog has a cancerous lump—but returns promptly in the body of Molly the mischievous Beagle, reuniting with the 11-year-old CJ to keep a promise he’s made to Ethan. Now living away from her grandparents with the negligent Gloria, CJ finds the kind of comfort and support every child needs in Molly.

Our determined pooch returns again and again as Bailey drops dead in a continuous loop: once, as the African Boerboel Big Dog living on a roadside convenience store (or, “a house made of snacks,” as he calls it), and then as the snippy Terrier Max. Meanwhile, CJ goes through her own transformation and finds herself in the unforgiving streets of New York City as a budding musician with a severe case of stage fright. A series of mean boyfriends—one, a dangerous stalker responsible for Molly’s horrific death—doesn’t help with her insecurity, until she stumbles upon her beloved childhood friend Trent ( Henry Lau ) and falls in love. (Guess what wet-nosed character masterminds the reunion with a paw shake and tail wag?)

Rest assured, there is sufficient amount of cuteness to go around in “Journey,” complete with dutiful canine humor around pooping, face licking, and the perpetual pursuit of food. But while the film engages with the sadness and despair of certain life crises head-on—an unexpected case of terminal illness is especially well-conceived in that regard—it strangely falls short of treating others with the empathy and seriousness they deserve. Written by Cameron, Maya Forbes , Cathryn Michon and Wallace Wolodarsky , the story is outright hostile to Gloria, a paper-thin character whose mourning and alcoholism receives a cruel one-dimensional treatment. A gold-digging ex-girlfriend of Trent suffers in the hands of a similar caricaturized vision. And yet, no one comes to a film like this, where the world is divided into absolute goods and evils, for nuance or subtlety. If you can look behind the flat visuals and prescriptive pleasantries of “Journey,” you might just get on board with its compelling-enough tale of lost souls, found and lifted up by their forever-loyal pooches. On this earth and beyond.

Tomris Laffly

Tomris Laffly is a freelance film writer and critic based in New York. A member of the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), she regularly contributes to  RogerEbert.com , Variety and Time Out New York, with bylines in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Journal International, Vulture, The Playlist and The Wrap, among other outlets.

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Film Credits

A Dog's Journey (2019)

Rated PG for thematic content, some peril and rude humor.

120 minutes

Dennis Quaid as Ethan

Betty Gilpin as Gloria

Josh Gad as Bailey (voice)

Abby Ryder Fortson as Young CJ

Marg Helgenberger as Hannah

Kathryn Prescott as CJ

Ian Chen as Young Trent

Daniela Barbosa as Liesl

Jake Manley as Shane

• Gail Mancuso

Writer (book)

• W. Bruce Cameron
• Maya Forbes
• Cathryn Michon
• Wallace Wolodarsky

Cinematographer

• Rogier Stoffers
• Robert Komatsu

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A Dog's Journey

• A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.
• After fulfilling his purpose of taking care of Ethan, Bailey must do the same thing for Ethan's granddaughter, CJ. As CJ does everything that she can do to achieve her goal to become a musician, Bailey is able to find her again through multiple lifetimes. — RECB3
• I. Bailey Bailey, an elderly St. Bernard/Australian shepherd mix, lives happily with his owner Ethan (Quaid) and his wife Hannah (Helgenberger), and their two year-old granddaughter Clarity June "CJ" (Emma Volk) and her mother Gloria (Giplin). Bailey, communicating with the audience via his thoughts, has a fondness for CJ. Gloria is shown to be an incompetent mother and have a hatred for dogs, as well as a dysfunctional relationship with her dead boyfriend, Henry's, parents (Hannah and Ethan), all leading her to eventually move out with CJ. Soon thereafter, Ethan discovers a lump in Bailey's stomach, and a veterinarian clinic deems he must be euthanized. Ethan holds Bailey lovingly and tells him to take care of CJ, before he is lethally injected. Bailey, now dead, is then seen running through a grassy field towards young CJ. II. Molly Bailey, who has been reincarnated as a female beagle named Molly, lives at an animal shelter. He sees a young boy named Trent (Ian Chen) and his family adopt his brother, Rocky. He also sees a young girl with him, who he recognizes is CJ, now nine years-old (Abby Ryder Forston). Bailey, remembering his promise to Ethan, runs outside to her. CJ, now living in an apartment with Gloria, takes Molly home with her and hides her from her mother. Gloria eventually sees Molly and reprimands CJ for getting a dog behind her back, but CJ persuades her mother to let her keep the dog given how neglected she feels. Over time, CJ and Molly grow increasingly close, along with Trent and Rocky. CJ, now a teenager (Prescott), reveals to Trent that she wants to drop out of high school and move to New York with her father's insurance settlement to pursue a career in music. While CJ is busy, Hannah and Ethan visit Gloria's home with a box of Henry's old belongings, wanting to see CJ. However, Gloria, still angry over their discord, closes the door on them, but not before Molly takes a liking to Ethan, and he recognizes her as Bailey and reminds him of his request to protect CJ. CJ befriends a bad boy named Shane, who Molly tries to protect her from. Shane invites her to a party, which gets busted by police for underage drinking; CJ is then sentenced to community service at a facility that teaches dogs how to diagnose cancer with their sense of smell, and Molly learns how to do this. Shane is revealed to be abusive towards CJ, and Gloria's nonchalant response and revelation that she has spent Henry's insurance settlement provokes her to leave with Molly. While driving, she discovers Shane is following her, and, in trying to avoid him, gets in an accident that kills Molly. Molly is then shown running through the same grassy field that Bailey was when he died. III. Big Dog Bailey, again reincarnated, this time as a mastiff named Big Dog, lives with his new owner, Joe, and is a guard dog at his gas station. Although he enjoys his new life, he misses CJ. One day, CJ, now a young adult, visits the convenience store, and Big Dog recognizes and engages with her. After she leaves, Big Dog lives the rest of his life missing Molly, and eventually dies. He is then shown running through the grassy field again. IV. Max Bailey, once again reincarnated, this time as a Yorkshire terrier named Max, is up for adoption during a public showing. He bites every person who shows interest in adopting him, until he sees CJ and chases her all the way to her apartment complex. CJ is reluctant to keep Max, but she learns that if Max isn't adopted by the next day, he will be sent to a pound. CJ, living with her boyfriend and working as a dog walker while building her music career on the side, adopts Max, who befriends her boyfriend's dog. Max eventually discovers that Trent, now a young adult (Lau), has moved into their apartment complex with his girlfriend (he also realizes that Rocky has since died). Max, sensing that CJ and Trent have feelings for each other, destroys CJ's relationship with her boyfriend, causing them to break up and for her to move out of his apartment and in with Trent. Soon after, Max remembers what he learned as Molly and informs CJ that he smells cancer on Trent. Max is revealed to be right, and Trent begins chemotherapy. His girlfriend eventually leaves him, leaving CJ as his primary caretaker. Eventually, Trent's doctor calls him and informs him that he is cancer-free, and CJ is visited by Gloria after not having seen her in years. She has warmed up to dogs and gives CJ some of the contents that were in Henry's box that Hannah and Ethan brought to her house during Molly's life, which are revealed to be letters that Henry wrote to Gloria while she was pregnant with CJ. These notes inspire CJ to write more songs and perform them in front of an audience, thus finally kicking off her musical career. CJ and Trent, now financially stable, travel with Max to Hannah and Ethan's farm, where they reunite for the first time since Gloria left during Bailey's life. Ethan realizes that Max is Bailey, as was Molly, and informs CJ that Bailey kept his promise and protected her. CJ realizes that Bailey has also brought her and Trent together and saved Trent's life, leading her to finally understand that Bailey, Molly, Big Dog, and Max are all the same dog. CJ and Trent embrace their love for each other, and eventually marry and have a child. Gloria also patches up her relationship with CJ, Hannah and Ethan, and Ethan dies with Max at his side. The movie ends with CJ praising Max, and all four lives Bailey has lived are seen running through the grassy field again, this time towards Ethan, and they run away into the grassy field of Heaven, departing this life as old friends.

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A Dog's Journey

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Rent A Dog's Journey on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

A Dog's Journey is as sentimental as one might expect, but even cynical viewers may find their ability to resist shedding a tear stretched to the puppermost limit.

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Gail Mancuso

Kathryn Prescott

Betty Gilpin

Dennis Quaid

Marg Helgenberger

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Review: ‘A Dog’s Journey’ goes deeper than its pedigree to offer unconditional love

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Engaging critically with Dog Movies can be a challenge for a critic. Who wants to be the crank who scoffs that the heartwarming animal movie is just too contrived and sentimental? But it can be hard to avoid, with the sickly sweet, pandering pabulum of “A Dog’s Purpose” and “A Dog’s Way Home.” Fortunately, “A Dog’s Journey,” the third in a trio of films adapted from W. Bruce Cameron’s novels, offers up an interesting, complex story into which we can sink our teeth. Directed by Emmy-winner Gail Mancuso (“Modern Family”), written by “Purpose” vets Cameron, Maya Forbes, Cathryn Michon and Wallace Wolodarsky, “A Dog’s Journey” has the emotional bite to match its somewhat hokey bark.

Both “A Dog’s Purpose” and “A Dog’s Journey” are metaphysical films that purport that the same dog spirit has been reincarnated again and again into different canine forms over its owner’s lifetime, always trying to make it back home. It’s a rather fantastically philosophical idea for a film that traffics in nostalgic heartland family values cheerleading. But it’s a fantasy dog lovers want to believe. Just look at Barbra Streisand, who has cloned her beloved dog — wouldn’t it be nice to think all dogs don’t actually go to heaven but get reincarnated into our next furry friends?

Bailey, the Saint Bernard from “A Dog’s Purpose,” reappears as a kindly older dog in “Journey,” the beloved pet of Ethan (Dennis Quaid) and Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). Bailey bonds with Ethan and Hannah’s toddler granddaughter, CJ (Emma Volk), while their daughter-in-law Gloria (Betty Gilpin) grieves the death of CJ’s father in a car wreck. A selfish and vain woman, she impulsively leaves the family farm with her daughter, denying the grandparents any chance of seeing her again while tossing off vague accusations about CJ’s father’s life insurance policy.

Losing a beloved dog is a part of pet ownership, and as Ethan says goodbye to his friend Bailey for the final time, he implores the dog to find and protect CJ in his next lives, because she’ll need it. CJ grows up a sad, lonely girl (Abby Ryder Fortson and, later, Kathryn Prescott), but Bailey finds her again and again, as a beagle named Molly, a mastiff named Big Dog and, finally, a Yorkie named Max, who has the greatest influence on CJ’s life, and helps her to believe in the magic of the animal’s spirit.

It’s about halfway through the film when one realizes how much deeper Mancuso and team are going with this dog’s journey. This isn’t all romps in the tall grass and stories of puppy heroism or feats of strength — it’s about family trauma, death, domestic abuse, neglectful parenting, addiction and life-threatening illness. It’s about how dogs can fill the hole in your heart that a person might leave.

The whole schtick of these movies is the treat-motivated, not-quite-getting-it doggie voice-over, performed by Josh Gad , and it lightens the film. But going dark and emotional makes the film work better than the prior two. Because even among all the coincidences and twists of fate Molly and Max enact, what hits home the most is that dogs can offer people unconditional love when they need it most, and that has always been a dog’s purpose.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

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‘A Dog’s Journey’

Rated: PG for thematic content, some peril and rude humor

Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes

Playing: Starts May 17 in general release

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‘A Dog’s Journey’ Review: Good Boys (and Girls) on a Mission

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By Glenn Kenny

• May 16, 2019

The preponderance of viral dog videos proves that the animals are sufficiently attractive, intelligent and resourceful that they don’t need stories about their reincarnation to entertain and warm hearts. Nevertheless, we now have “A Dog’s Journey,” the sequel to “A Dog’s Purpose” (2017), all about a multiple-incarnation pooch on a mission to protect a human.

We begin with the always-welcome Dennis Quaid, as a farmer with a strong bond to the shaggy St. Bernard/Australian shepherd mix Bailey. As Bailey is put to sleep, Quaid’s character begs the dog to look after his granddaughter CJ.

Among the many challenges in CJ’s then-toddler life is Gloria, a single mom possessed of more hostility than the entirety of Elvis Costello’s 1970s output. Gloria becomes a drunk and the older CJ adopts Molly, a delightful beagle/Cavalier King Charles spaniel mix who is, yes, possessed by the spirit of Bailey. (Josh Gad provides the cloying dog voice-over regardless of the gender of any individual beast.)

Adult CJ moves to New York and becomes Maggie Rogers with stage fright, or something like that. There, the new incarnation Max, a Yorkshire terrier, “improves” CJ’s life by making her homeless.

Directed by Gail Mancuso, the movie is packed with cardboard characters who only exist to check off bad-things-happen plot points. Stick around long enough and irritation may turn into incredulity as “Journey,” with the enthusiasm of a pep squad turning cartwheels, flips an increasing number of morbidity-skirting twists. Could you have predicted, when Molly learned how to be a cancer sniffer, that Max would retain that talent and use it to diagnose a central character?

I suppose it’s a genuine achievement that a movie packed with as much delightful canine (and agreeable human) talent as this one should be so insufferable.

Rated PG for mature dog themes. Running time: 1 hour 48 minutes.

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‘a dog’s journey’: film review.

In 'A Dog's Journey,' a sequel to 'A Dog's Purpose,' Kathryn Prescott joins the ensemble as a troubled young woman whom Bailey, the frequently reincarnated canine, keeps coming back to help.

By Leslie Felperin

Leslie Felperin

Contributing Film Critic

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Centered on the soul of a loyal mutt (amiably voiced by Josh Gad ) who has the spiritual equivalent of a season ticket that keeps sending him back to earth after several deaths, A Dog’s Purpose and now its sequel,  A Dog’s Journey,  serve up a sugar-coated, bastardized form of Buddhism for pet lovers. They’re easy films to sneer and snark at, especially given that both, and the first one especially, trade in a certain kind of wholesome, backlit, wheat-field-swathed image of America (actually shot in Manitoba, Canada).

Even worse, both films are ruthlessly efficient when it comes to jerking tears. Some prideful viewers are likely to feel resentful over how well the pain of losing a beloved animal companion is evoked. The tools are nothing more complicated than a likable cast (that goes for the dog and human actors); competent direction (Gail Mancuso, who oversaw episodes of Modern Family and Gilmore Girls , takes charge of the leash in Journey  from Purpose ‘s Lasse Halstrom); a surging score by Mark Isham to punch up the plangency; and some corny but hugely relatable plot devices. Ivan Pavlov himself (the original guy who taught dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell) would be impressed.

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Don’t tell anyone I said this, but the result is not only pleasingly emotionally purgative, but also has some elements worthy of genuine admiration, despite the fact that the third word in the title is one that should now be entirely banished from the English language for its precious, psychobabble connotations. Aside from that, the screenplay by W. Bruce Cameron (author of the novels on which both  Purpose and Journey are   based), Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky navigates competently between providing bereavement-based melodrama and butt-sniffing jokes, the twin poles of the Dog’s  mini-franchise. Along the way, with a story centered on a female protagonist this time, it quietly boosts a message of resilience and self-belief to young girl audiences, advising them that it’s always a smarter move to love nice boys and dogs rather than abusive jerks and pet haters.

Purpose  left off with our canine hero Bailey, at this point living in the body of a Great Pyrenees Bernese Mountain Dog, reunited with both Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ), who was Bailey’s owner as a child back in the late 1950s, and Hannah (Marg Helgenberger), whom Ethan used to date when they were teens. As Journey  begins, sometime in the late 1980s/early 1990s, two new members of the family have moved into the Norman Rockwell-style clapboard farmhouse Ethan’s inherited: Hannah’s daughter-in-law Gloria (Betty Gilpin, from GLOW ) and her toddler Clarity (Emma Volk), also known as C.J.

Bailey is, as per usual, mostly focused on bacon falling on the floor in this period. He doesn’t truly understand what’s going on when Gloria — grieving over the off-camera death of C.J.’s father, who was Hannah’s son, and also a budding alcoholic and unconfident mother who feels jealous of Hannah and Ethan’s bond with her daughter — decides to up and leave with C.J., citing unfounded suspicions that they’re after C.J.’s inheritance money. The dog misses his small, pork-product-dispensing companion, but gets on with life in his phlegmatic, doggy way. When the time comes for Ethan to have the now-aged Bailey put to sleep permanently (arguably the film’s most sob-inducing scene), he asks Bailey to keep an eye over C.J. in his future lives.

Conveniently, the universe contrives to help him do just that, bringing Bailey back first as a female Beaglier (beagle/King Charles spaniel cross) named Molly that ends up being adopted by C.J. (Abby Ryder Fortson), now 11 years old and fending for herself as best she can while Gloria works through a variety of unsuitable men, many glasses of chardonnay and her few remaining hopes of ever having a solo singing career.

The script, Mancuso and the cast, especially the deeply watchable Gilpin and engaging up-and-comer Kathryn Prescott (who takes over as C.J. once she’s past puberty) effectively limn the layered complexities of this dysfunctional single-mom/lone girl-child menage, which scars C.J. in ways that only a loving dog can compensate for. Gloria fat shames her, cuts her off from her grandparents and neglects her horribly, which leads to her dating a skeevy guy named Shane (Jake Manley) — who might as well have a T-shirt with “Potential Stalker” blazoned across it — instead of her sweet childhood friend Trent (first Ian Chen, then later on Canadian K-pop star Henry Lau), who is always there for her. The core romantic advice from the Dog’s  films seems to be “never date anyone you haven’t known since childhood.”

It takes a few reincarnations for Bailey before his soul (now encased by a Yorkshire terrier), C.J. and Trent to all end up in New York City (playing itself with swagger), where the plot veers for a while into a young-people-face-cancer story, in the manner of The Fault in Our Stars  and the like. This extra layer of morbidity adds an interesting spin on the two films’ ongoing preoccupation with death, raising the stakes by having not just the loss of a beloved pet in the offing, but also the loss of a beloved friend. Tellingly, both potential losses are seen as equally devastating.

Nevertheless, it’s best not to think too much about the moral logic of Journey  and where it stands on the respective value of humans versus other mammals and animals. Or about why Bailey keeps getting reborn and coming back to these particular people and not, say, Joe (Conrad Coates), the nice man who runs a gas station near Pittsburgh, with whom Bailey lives when he comes back for a while as an African Boerboel named Big Dog. After all, Joe treats Big Dog just as well as any of the other dog owners and lives, as the inner voice of Bailey exclaims happily, in a “house made of snacks.”

Distribution: Universal Pictures Production: An Amblin Entertainment, Reliance Entertainment presentation in association with Walden Media, Alibaba Pictures of a Pariah production   Cast: Kathryn Prescott, Abby Ryder Fortson, Emma Volk, Josh Gad, Betty Gilpin, Marg Helgenberger, Henry Lau, Dennis Quaid, Ian Chen, Jake Manley, Daniela Barbosa, Conrad Coates Director: Gail Mancuso Screenwriters: W. Bruce Cameron and Cathryn Michon, Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, based on the novel by W. Bruce Cameron Producer: Gavin Polone Executive producers: Seth William Meier, Lasse Hallstrom, Luyuan Fan, Wei Zhang Director of photography: Rogier Stoffers Production designer: Eric Fraser Costume designer: Pattie Henderson Editor: Robert Komatsu Music: Mark Isham Casting: John Papsidera

Rating PG; 108 minutes

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‘A Dog’s Journey’ will make you cry, but it does not earn those tears

“A Dog’s Journey” tries to prove that it’s possible to make an uplifting movie in which a dog dies — repeatedly. That’s not a spoiler; it’s literally the plot of the film.

“Journey” rests on the same conceit as its 2017 predecessor, “A Dog’s Purpose.” In both films, based on best-selling books by W. Bruce Cameron, a dog named Bailey (voice of Josh Gad) gets repeatedly reincarnated, each time to protect someone important. The previous film focused on a character named Ethan. Now it’s Ethan’s granddaughter, C.J. (Kathryn Prescott.)

We first meet her as a toddler (Emma Volk), living with her grandparents (Dennis Quaid and Marg Helgenberger), whose son was killed in a car accident before C.J. was born. The son’s widow, Gloria (Betty Gilpin), lives with her daughter C.J. — rather tensely — on the family farm. When a major conflict arises, Gloria and C.J. head to Chicago, where Gloria is planning to pursue a singing career. Through the course of four lifetimes and various dog breeds and genders, Bailey is always there to protect C.J. from danger, including a less than desirable home life and abusive boyfriends.

There’s nothing wrong with a good cry at the movies. But a bad cry is emotionally manipulative and, well, just mean. “A Dog’s Journey” is the latter.

Because the story belongs to Bailey, we have to watch him die, over and over. At these moments, it feels like the entire film is structured to get the audience from one death to another. Although there are some very nice scenes between Gloria and the adult C.J. (as well as with the tween version, played by Abby Ryder Fortson), how can we appreciate them if there’s always this looming sense of doom? Is it even possible to enjoy Gad’s charming performance while we’re waiting for the next time Bailey goes to doggy heaven — a place that looks like the field Russell Crowe glowered over in “Gladiator”?

A movie should earn our tears. And it does that by giving us complex characters to whom we can relate. It doesn’t have to take long: “Up” did it in a near-silent opening montage that covered the span of a married life in just minutes. Here, nearly all the characters are underwritten. When it comes to Gloria, it’s just vicious. Gilpin manages to add some nuance in early scenes, where it’s clear that her anger and selfishness come from grief at the loss of her husband. But eventually, the script falls back on an old trope: she’s a bad mother because she drinks wine (admittedly too much), wears leather pants and has her own headshots hanging on the wall.

There are laughs; many of them come from the fact that dogs sniff rear ends and relieve themselves in inappropriate places. Cleverer moments show up from time to time, though they’re few and far between.

“A Dog’s Journey” plays on one of the rawest nerves humans have: the one triggered by our bond with dogs. (If you want to add tension to any scene, just put a dog in jeopardy). The love we share with our canine companions is one of the simplest emotions there is, and to build an entire film around manipulating that love is lazy storytelling. If you want to cry at the movies, “A Dog’s Journey” will achieve that. If you want to have a satisfactory cry — one that comes from empathy and not cheap emotional ma­nipu­la­tion — stay home and watch “Up.”

PG.  At area theaters. Contains mature thematic elements, some peril, rude humor, drinking and minor drug use. 108 minutes.

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A dog's journey, common sense media reviewers.

Sequel is as sentimental and emotional as the first film.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Strong messages about the life-changing bond, unco

Ethan and Hannah continue to be wonderful role mod

A dog dies on different occasions. In one particul

A married couple embraces, dances, briefly kisses.

Infrequent language includes a few uses of "idiot,

Recognizable brands include Dodge, MacBook, iPhone

Quite a bit of drinking by Gloria, who's nearly al

Parents need to know that A Dog's Journey is the sequel to 2017's sentimental A Dog's Purpose , both of which are based on W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling books about a dog (voiced by Josh Gad) that's reincarnated again and again with the purpose of finding a specific human to protect and love. This…

Positive Messages

Strong messages about the life-changing bond, unconditional love, and connection between dogs and their humans. Promotes idea that people aren't meant to go through life alone, that they're happier and more fulfilled with both human partners and animal companions. Clear themes of empathy, perseverance.

Positive Role Models

Ethan and Hannah continue to be wonderful role models: kind, helpful, disciplined, loving. They take good care of Bailey and CJ. The dog always believes his/her purpose is to defend, protect, and love his/her human companions, nevers stops looking for or protecting his/her human. CJ is lonely and sad at times but loves her dog and her best friend, Trent, who's supportive, generous, encouraging. Gloria is an alcoholic and neglectful mother but eventually takes responsibility, asks for forgiveness.

Violence & Scariness

A dog dies on different occasions. In one particularly painful scene, Bailey dies in Ethan's arms receiving a euthanizing shot. Another version of Bailey dies in an accident, others die of old age. An abusive boyfriend purposely crashes into his ex-girlfriend's car. Another boyfriend is verbally demeaning, grabs his girlfriend. An older adult dies surrounded by people (and pet) he loves. An alcoholic mom is neglectful, leaving her daughter alone a lot of nights. A girl is frightened of a storm, upset that her mother isn't around.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A married couple embraces, dances, briefly kisses. Teens make out in a car. From dog's perspective, a young couple "licks each other's faces" -- like Ethan and Hannah used to when they were younger. At one point, the dog narrates, "They look like they want to lick each other."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Infrequent language includes a few uses of "idiot," "dumb," and "stupid." A mom hurls the word "chubby" like an insult. "Oh my God" as an exclamation.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Recognizable brands include Dodge, MacBook, iPhone, Slim Jim, Cheetos, Whole Foods, Ford, and Jeep.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Quite a bit of drinking by Gloria, who's nearly always shown with a glass of wine or a cocktail in her hand. She's clearly an alcoholic and is often drunk. Shane is obviously a drug dealer -- he exchanges cash for small packets at a party. Minor character smokes cigarettes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that A Dog's Journey is the sequel to 2017's sentimental A Dog's Purpose , both of which are based on W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling books about a dog (voiced by Josh Gad ) that's reincarnated again and again with the purpose of finding a specific human to protect and love. This time around, Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ) encourages his beloved dying dog to return to find his granddaughter. There's less violence in this one, but there's still an alcoholic, neglectful parent (this time a mother) and an abusive boyfriend who literally crashes into his ex-girlfriend on purpose. Another boyfriend is verbally demeaning and grabs his girlfriend; a minor character smokes. And, yes, the central dog dies -- four times, to be exact, due to sickness, old age, and accidents. But couples don't do much more than hug and kiss, and language is tame ("idiot," "stupid"). As in the first movie, there are clear messages about empathy and companionship, as well as the power of having a pet with whom humans share unconditional love. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

• Parents say (20)
• Kids say (17)

Based on 20 parent reviews

Interesting discussions about this film

Amazing....but made me sob, what's the story.

A DOG'S JOURNEY -- the sequel to 2017's A Dog's Purpose -- is, like the first film, an adaptation of W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling books about a special canine whose memories are reincarnated into a new dog each time it dies. As the sequel begins, Ethan ( Dennis Quaid ), his wife, Hannah ( Marg Helgenberger ), and their beloved dog, Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad ), are living on their Michigan farm and taking care of Hannah's toddler granddaughter, CJ, and widowed daughter-in-law, Gloria ( Betty Gilpin ), after the death of her son. When Gloria, who's angry and neglectful in her grief, takes CJ away to Chicago, Hannah and Ethan are distraught. Right before Bailey eventually dies, Ethan asks him to come back for CJ. And that's what happens: The dog returns as Molly, a puppy that 11-year-old CJ ( Abby Ryder Fortson ) adopts, while her best friend, Trent ( Ian Chen ), adopts Molly's brother Rocky. Years later, CJ (now Kathryn Prescott ) continues to be "Bailey's" purpose, even after more dog deaths and CJ's move to New York City to pursue a music career.

Is It Any Good?

Emotional and syrupy sweet, this sentimental sequel is a tribute to the enduring bond between dogs and their human best friends. Veteran TV director Gail Mancuso continues Lasse Hallstrom 's poignant touch with the story, which switches from focusing on Ethan to CJ. The CJ storyline is less violent than younger Ethan's, but it's still filled with heartbreak, a parent's substance abuse, sadness, and loneliness (save for lifelong friend Trent).

Gilpin is well cast as a selfish, disinterested mother who cares more about warning her daughter about the dangers of getting "chubby" than actually parenting her. Prescott is believable as a vulnerable, unfulfilled young woman whose greatest comfort has always come from her dog. And Henry Lau is almost too good to be true as the earnest adult version of Trent. Gad's voice is eager and steadfast as the various incarnations of Bailey, and, unlike in the first film, A Dog's Journey , audiences stay with the same family of dog owners throughout the story (with the exception of one quick detour). This movie definitely and effectively pulls at the heartstrings, so pet lovers in particular should expect tears to flow at the many tender moments between CJ and Ethan and their dogs. There's even a subplot about one of the dogs being able to detect cancer by scent, an ability a later dog can also display -- with life-saving results. For dog fans, this is a movie that affirms the kinship between humans and dogs; for others, it's a treacly sweet take on some serious issues.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violent/upsetting scenes in A Dog's Journey. Why do you think they were included? Can a movie have violent parts and still be family friendly?

What do the human characters learn from their dog? How does the story promote empathy ? How does Bailey's journey, lifetime after lifetime, exemplify perseverance ? Why are those important character strengths ?

How does the movie portray drinking ? Are there realistic consequences? Why is that important?

How does the movie address grief, especially in relation to losing a pet? Have you ever had to deal with that? What made you feel better?

What do you think about CJ and Trent's friendship? How is their relationship different from the other romantic relationships depicted in the movie? What's the message about friends who become more?

Movie Details

• In theaters : May 17, 2019
• On DVD or streaming : August 20, 2019
• Cast : Dennis Quaid , Josh Gad , Betty Gilpin
• Director : Gail Mancuso
• Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African actors, Female actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : Cats, Dogs, and Mice , Friendship
• Character Strengths : Empathy , Perseverance
• Run time : 108 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : thematic content, some peril and rude humor
• Last updated : February 18, 2024

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A Dog's Journey is a 2019 American comedy-drama adventure film directed by Gail Mancuso . The cast of the film consists of Marg Helgenberger , Betty Gilpin , Henry Lau , Kathryn Prescott , Dennis Quaid , and Josh Gad .

The film was released in the United States on August 30, 2019 by Universal Pictures .

• 3.1 Trailers

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• Marg Helgenberger as Hannah Montgomery
• Betty Gilpin as Gloria
• Ian Chen as Young Trent
• Abby Ryder Fortson as Young CJ
• Dennis Quaid as Ethan Montgomery
• Josh Gad as the voice of Bailey

Trailers [ ]

A Dog's Journey - Official Trailer (HD)

Official Trailer

A Dog’s Journey Review

It can be easy to feel a little déja vu at the movies these days with so many remakes afoot. In 2019, this may feel like it happened two times over when it comes to heartwarming dramas centered on dogs and their owners. Hint: it’s not all in your head. Since A Dog’s Purpose became a box office success in 2017, novelist W. Bruce Cameron has pumped out two follow-ups that have come out within months of each other: A Dog’s Way Home ; and now, a direct sequel to Purpose , A Dog’s Journey .

My advice: if you haven’t yet checked these movies out, skip out on the other two and fetch this one up. For those already following the trilogy: rejoice (!) because A Dog’s Journey is the best one yet. It’s heartwarming, funny and unexpected at times – and for a movie like this, the latter is ruff to achieve (sorry, had to do it). Dog lovers will especially fall to pieces for this one, and there’s plenty of room in the human stories for cat people to enjoy this chapter, as well.

A Dog’s Journey centers on a dog named Bailey (voiced by Josh Gad ) who has been reincarnated over and over as other dogs of various breeds over the course of around 60 years. This story began back in A Dog’s Purpose with Bailey’s relationship with Dennis Quaid’s Ethan and his wife Hannah (played by Marg Helgenberger, who replaces the late Peggy Lipton). This time, the movie has a more tightened focus on their granddaughter CJ, who is torn away by her mother as she deals with the aftermath of her husband’s death and becoming a single parent.

As Bailey approaches death, Ethan asks the dog to protect CJ in his next lives and he takes it to heart throughout A Dog’s Journey . The movie has Bailey’s dog forms being a part of her life as a kid, teen and adult. Admittedly, the ways in which Bailey keeps coming across CJ can be a bit ridiculous. But it’s entertaining to watch her grow up with Bailey by her side, and her coming-of-age storyline has a few profound things to say about self confidence, friendship and forgiveness.

After years of “dogs are a man’s best friend” stories, A Dog’s Journey benefits from this new spin. It also helps that CJ’s childhood bestie Trent is along for the ride, as well. The two (played by Kathryn Prescott and Henry Lau) share a sweet dynamic not often portrayed as earnestly on the big screen and are enough to really make this movie shine.

Another improvement from the original is how cleverly Josh Gad’s voice performance is utilized this time around. We may have director Gail Mancuso to thank here since she’s helmed various sitcoms such as Friends and Modern Family over the years. Bailey’s dog commentary often hits the right beats and often compliment the story well -- though yes, they sometimes are as corny as one might expect.

Sure it’s a whole lot of fluff but you just can’t help but go along and pet this story as it strolls along. Whether it be through CJ’s many meet-cutes with the dogs or the touching moments that aim to coerce all the tears out of you, A Dog’s Journey somehow makes it work. It’s reminiscent of the charm of Homeward Bound , and it deserves credit for daring to talk through some teaching moments usually not found in a PG family movie. You’ll “ohhhh” and “awwwww” at the puppies as they appear on screen, and likely end up getting swept up for the adorable ride.

_A Dog’s Journey _is a familiar family drama. Audiences have seen this before. And it offers the mush and cheesiness that usually comes with sweet dog stories. Basically  if you’re in the mood for a flick of this type, there hasn’t been one made on the big screen of this quality in some time, so enjoy.

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.

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A Dog's Journey

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Sequel is as sentimental and emotional as the first film.

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A Dog's Journey

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A Dog's Journey is a 2019 American family comedy-drama film directed by Gail Mancuso in her feature film directorial debut [3] and written by W. Bruce Cameron , Cathryn Michon , Maya Forbes , and Wally Wolodarsky . The film is based on the 2012 novel of the same name by Cameron and is the sequel to the 2017 film A Dog's Purpose . The film stars Josh Gad , Dennis Quaid , Marg Helgenberger , Betty Gilpin , Kathryn Prescott , and Henry Lau .

The film is a co-production between Amblin Entertainment , Reliance Entertainment , Walden Media , and Alibaba Pictures and was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on May 17, 2019. [4]

• 3 Production
• 5 Home media
• 6.1 Box office
• 6.2 Critical response
• 7 References
• 8 External links

Bailey, an old St. Bernard / Australian Shepherd , lives happily with his owner Ethan, the latter’s wife Hannah, their 2-year-old granddaughter CJ and her mother Gloria. He is very fond of CJ. Gloria is inattentive, hates dogs, has a strained relationship with her late husband Henry's parents and an ambition to be a singer. Gloria's suspicious nature leads her to move out with CJ.

Ethan discovers a tumor in Bailey's stomach, later he holds Bailey lovingly, asking him to take care of CJ before he is euthanized . Bailey is then shown running through a grassy field towards CJ.

Nine years later, Bailey, reincarnated as a beagle named Molly, sees a now 11-year-old CJ with her best friend Trent and his parents, who are adopting the former’s favorite brother Rocky. Remembering the promise she made to Ethan in her previous life, Molly runs outside to CJ. Living in the suburbs with Gloria, she takes Molly home, hiding her. Gloria eventually discovers this and scolds CJ for getting a dog, but reluctantly allows her to keep Molly after CJ persuades her, as she feels neglected and lonely.

CJ and Molly grow increasingly close over the years, along with Trent and Rocky. Now a teenager, CJ tells Trent she wants to drop out of high school and move to New York City with her deceased father Henry's insurance settlement to become a musician.

CJ begins to date Shane, who Molly distrusts and tries to protect her from. Attending a party which gets busted by police for underage drinking , CJ is sentenced to community service where Molly learns how to detect cancer . Her grandparents try to pay her and Gloria a visit, bringing a box of Henry's belongings, but still angry and distrustful, Gloria closes the door on them. But Molly and Ethan recognize each other and he reminds her of the promise to protect CJ.

Shane assaults CJ, prompting Molly to bite him. Gloria responds nonchalantly to this, also revealing she spent all of Henry's settlement money (meant for CJ) on her greedy wishes, prompting CJ to leave town with Molly. On the way out, they are stalked and tail-ended by Shane, which causes CJ’s car to flip, killing Molly. Shane flees the scene in a panic to avoid his arrest. Molly is then shown running through the same grassy field that Bailey had run through when he died.

Molly is reincarnated as an English Mastiff named Big Dog, who is a guard dog with a new owner, Joe, at a gas station/convenience store. Although enjoying his new life, he misses CJ. One day, CJ, now an adult, visits the store, and Big Dog engages with her. After she leaves, he continues to miss her for the rest of his life, and eventually dies of old age. He is then shown running through the grassy field again.

Big Dog is reincarnated as a Yorkshire Terrier named Max, who is at an adoption event in New York. Avoiding adoption until he finds CJ, he sees and chases her into her building. Although reluctant at first, she adopts Max so he doesn't get put down. Living with her boyfriend, working as a dog walker while still an aspiring musician, she hasn't overcome her stage fright .

While returning a dog to a client, Max recognizes the familiar scent of Trent and ends up at his newly rented apartment, where Trent lives with his girlfriend but without Rocky, who has since died. Max, sensing CJ and Trent's feelings for each other, intentionally misbehaves, sabotaging CJ’s relationship, causing her and her boyfriend to break up and her to move out. After staying with various friends, Max pulls CJ to Trent on the street, who offers her his spare room.

Remembering how to diagnose cancer during his life as Molly, Max signals to CJ that he detects it on Trent. A doctor confirms and Trent begins chemo . His girlfriend shallowly leaves him, so CJ becomes his primary caretaker. Once Trent is cancer-free, he urges CJ to accept a meeting with Gloria, who has since warmed up to dogs and has stopped being neglectful. She gives CJ some of the things sent from Ethan and Hannah (letters from Henry had written while she was pregnant with CJ). They inspire CJ to write more songs and perform, kicking off her musical career.

Trent takes CJ and Max on a road trip to the farm, where CJ reunites with her grandparents for the first time since she was a toddler. Ethan immediately recognizes Max as Bailey. He shows CJ, having Max perform a trick with Ethan that only Bailey would know. She finally understands that Bailey, Molly, Big Dog, and Max are all the same dog who brought her and Trent together.

CJ and Trent confess their love for one another, eventually marry and have a son named Saint. Gloria reconciles with her daughter and in-laws. Ethan dies in bed, surrounded by his family, with Max at his side. Max later ages and dies as well, with CJ at his side. The final scene is with Bailey running through the grassy field, morphing backwards through his previous incarnations, before crossing the Rainbow Bridge and reuniting with Ethan in heaven. Bailey got to love Ethan forever as a reward for being a good dog throughout all of his lives.

• Josh Gad as the voice of Bailey, Molly, Big Dog and Max
• Bruce As Buddy
• Elle, Rosebud, Diane, Rydel, and Lemy as Molly
• Scott as Big Dog
• Belle as Max
• Dennis Quaid as Ethan Montgomery, Gloria's father-in-law, Hannah's husband, Bailey's owner and CJ's grandfather.
• Marg Helgenberger as Hannah Montgomery, Ethan's wife and CJ's grandmother. Helgenberger replaces Peggy Lipton from the first film.
• Betty Gilpin as Gloria Mitchell, Ethan and Hannah's daughter-in-law and CJ's neglectful and emotionally abusive mother.
• Abby Ryder Fortson as Young CJ
• Emma Volk as Toddler CJ
• Ian Chen as Young Trent
• Jake Manley as Shane, a criminal Mr. Sub employee who temporarily dates CJ, and later unknowingly and indirectly kills Molly.
• Johnny Galecki as Henry Montgomery, Hannah and Ethan's deceased son, Gloria's husband and CJ's father.
• Tyler Asher Xin-Qin as Newborn Saint

Production [ ]

On June 21, 2017, CEO of Amblin Entertainment Michael Wright announced that a sequel to the film A Dog's Purpose was in development. [5]

On August 26, 2018, Universal Pictures began production on the sequel. [6]

Principal photography began in August 2018. [7]

Release [ ]

The film was released by Universal Pictures on May 17, 2019. It was released by Entertainment One in foreign territories, where actor Peter Baykov is the voice of Trent for international release. [8] [9]

Home media [ ]

A Dog's Journey was released on digital on 6 August and Blu-ray , DVD and on-demand on 20 August from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment .

Blu-ray Bonus Features Include:

• Deleted and Extended Scenes
• A DOG'S Sequel, New and returning cast members discuss their roles in A Dog's Journey and share their appreciation for director Gail Mancuso.
• Everyone's Best Friend.
• Sit down with the cast to hear about their life-long love of man's best friend.
• Working with Dogs - Cast and crew share the joys of working with animal-actors.
• A Healing Journey - Josh Gad, Dennis Quaid and others discuss the bond between dogs and humans.
• Scoring the JOURNEY - Director Gail Mancuso and composer Mark Isham discuss the music in the film.
• Feature Commentary with Director Gail Mancuso

Reception [ ]

Box office [ ].

A Dog's Journey grossed $22.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $52.8 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $75.6 million. [2]

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and The Sun Is Also a Star , and was projected to gross $10–14 million from 3,267 theaters in its opening weekend. [10] It ended up debuting to just $8 million, the lowest opening of any of W. Bruce Cameron's Dog films. [11] In its second weekend the film made $4.1 million, finishing seventh, [12] and then $1 million in its third. [13]

Critical response [ ]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on 80 reviews with an average rating of 5.17/10. The website's critical consensus reads: " A Dog's Journey is as sentimental as one might expect, but even cynical viewers may find their ability to resist shedding a tear stretched to the Template:Not a typo limit." [14] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 43 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [15] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, the same as its predecessor, while those at PostTrak gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars. [11]

References [ ]

• ↑ Dave McNary (February 21, 2020). " Box Office: ‘Call of the Wild’ Fetches $1 Million on Thursday Night ". Variety . Retrieved on February 21, 2020.
• ↑ 2.0 2.1 " A Dog's Journey (2019) ".. Box Office Mojo . Retrieved on August 27, 2020.
• ↑ Verhoeven, Beatrice (May 20, 2019). " Gail Mancuso on Why Her Feature Directorial Debut Had to Be 'A Dog’s Journey "..
• ↑ 毕楠. " Alibaba, Amblin start filming 'A Dog's Journey' - Chinadaily.com.cn ". www.chinadaily.com.cn .
• ↑ " A Dog's Purpose Sequel is Happening Because Of China ". slashfilm.com (21 June 2017).
• ↑ " A Dog's Journey (2019) - Box Office Mojo ". boxofficemojo.com .
• ↑ McNary, Dave (2018-08-27). " ‘A Dog’s Journey’ Adds China Interest With Henry Lau, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin ". (en) Variety .
• ↑ " Actor Peter Baykov, Credits "..
• ↑ Rebecca Rubin (May 14, 2019). " Box Office: ‘John Wick 3’ Takes Aim at ‘Avengers: Endgame’ ". Variety . Retrieved on May 14, 2019.
• ↑ 11.0 11.1 Anthony D'Alessandro (May 19, 2019). " ‘John Wick: Chapter 3’ Takes Out ‘Avengers’ With $56M+ Opening, But ‘Endgame’ Bests ‘Avatar’ As 2nd Highest Grossing Pic Ever At Domestic B.O. ". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved on May 19, 2019.
• ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (May 26, 2019). " ‘Aladdin’ Memorial Day Magic Carpet Ride Soars Higher With $112M+ Opening – Sunday AM Update ". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved on May 26, 2019.
• ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (June 2, 2019). " ‘Godzilla’ Loses Teeth With $49M Opening, But Counter-Programming Excels For First Time This Summer With ‘Rocketman’ & ‘Ma’ ". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved on June 2, 2019.
• ↑ " A Dog's Journey (2019) ". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media .
• ↑ " A Dog's Journey Reviews ". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved on May 22, 2019.

External links [ ]

• Official website
• Template:IMDb title
• 1 Dax Mallard
• 2 Despicable Me 4
• 3 Migration