A Dog's Purpose, the 2017 American comedy-drama adventure film directed by Lasse Hallström certainly is a big hit. Made at just $22 million, it grossed a whopping $205.7 million in the box office. When I first caught the movie while on a plane to Taipei, Taiwan; my first thought was it is just like those old feel good black and white dog movies for the whole family from Disney. The movie in fact is just that initially; and is rather entertaining until halfway through the movie when Bailey, the Red Retriever which has bonded with its owner, Ethan dies. From then on, there is no lack of cute or intelligent dogs to draw the attention; just that the dogs all play the same character. Almost instantly after Bailey dies, you suddenly realize that this is the story about the reincarnation of a dog and it doesn't really start with Bailey. Before Bailey, there's a puppy that has been caught by the dog catchers and put to sleep. It reincarnates into Bailey and Bailey reincarnates into an female German Shepherd, a male Pembroke Welsh Corg and a mix male St. Bernard/Australian Shepherd in that order. The dogs all have different owners; so, the movie is a string of short stories which doesn't really develop to tug the heart strings. It doesn't even make you wonder or care if a dog does indeed reincarnate; or in the Buddhist perspective, reborn.
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