‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ Review: Sweetness abounds in this ‘dog’s journey’ through his human’s life
Director Simon Curtis’ film adaptation of the novel Garth Stein follows the dog centric tearjerking formula to entertain audiences and tug on heartstrings with some actors, witty dialogue and a gruff yet engrossing narration by Kevin Costner, the voice behind Enzo, the Golden Retriever at the center of this story.
Enzo’s owner, Denny (Milo Ventimiglia), is an ambitious race car driver, buying the pup and quickly becoming best friends. Enzo, named after the racing legend Enzo Ferrari is narrating as the constant observer of Denny’s life: from marriage, through career choices, having a family, dealing with tragedy and beyond.
W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Way Home and A Dog’s Journey, which is a direct sequel to 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose, tapped into a specific audience and Racing in the Rain joins that genre as a strong film.
Amanda Seyfried, Kathy Baker, Martin Donovan also star,but this is Ventimiglia’s film with Costner’s philosophical observations and insights. In fact, the backdrop is that Enzo has watched a documentary about Mongolian culture, learning that dogs can be reincarnated as humans, so he takes this on as a goal.
Let me be clear, this film is for fans of the genre. If you are expecting something groundbreaking, insightful or even a racing centered film, you will be disappointed. This is a strong, clean family film, sure to prompt some tear formation with some grins and laughs.
Only one scene seems horribly out of place, it’s a “hallucination” about a demonic zebra which leads Enzo to destroy a child’s stuff animals, but overall the flow and pacing of the film is entertaining.
Humanizing our pets, dogs in particular, is something very common with families and The Art of Racing in the Rain gets more things right than it gets wrong. It’s not silly like the Secret Life of Pets films, but it taps into that connection we have with our pets.
The Art of Racing in the Rain earns 7 out of 10 stars
The opens wide in theaters on August 9, 2019.
Facebook: @artofracingmovie
The score will be higher for those dog enthusiasts and lovers of these dog-centered, emotional dramas (like A Dog’s Journey), which may be narrow sector of the audience. Fans of racing will likely be disappointed as it’s not REALLY relevant to the story. Denny could have any dangerous occupation which keeps him away from his family. I actually really loved the Costner dialogue and expect to find more quotable lines with the subtitles on during a home screening.
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