Director: Stephen Herek

Cast: Rob Lowe, Johnny Berchtold, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Nick Peine

Available On: Netflix

Duration: 95 Minutes

‘Dog Gone’: Story

‘Dog Gone’ is the true story of a lost dog’s journey and a family’s furious search to find him before it is too late. Along the way, a father and son discover their own lost bond. Suspenseful, heartbreaking, and ultimately life-affirming, ‘Dog Gone’ shows audiences the way heroism can assert itself in the little things we do each day. Will the family be able to finally search and save the dog who has gotten lost on the Appalachian Trail? Will the dog be able to survive without his medication in the dense forest? Will the father and son finally discover a hidden respect for each other? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

‘Dog Gone’: Performances

Rob Lowe is the pick of the actors. He has brought believability to the character of the father. Not only had he managed to make it a new-age father, but has also not moved away from the traditional wants that fathers usually have for their kids. The perfect balance is brilliant.

Johnny Berchtold slightly disappoints considering his character as the owner of the dog could have had more impact on the story. Despite the fact that he was to be the main protagonist in the movie, it sort of leered towards being a father-son story, in which the father had a much more impactful and meatier character to play. Berchtold was somehow left in the background to pick up the leftovers. With a bit more intensity and depth to the character, he could have made his mark much more than Rob Lowe’s character of the father.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley has minimal screen time, but she manages to bring in her A-game. She switches quite flawlessly between emotions, and that comes out great onscreen.

Must mention Nick Peine for his small yet funny performance. He played the character of the best friend as if it was a real-life situation, and he was that best friend. Every nuance in that character, he held tightly and made his own, and it was impossible to tell the real apart from the reel character.

‘Dog Gone’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

Stephen Herek’s direction gave the story the much-needed thrill. While people in the US might have known the real-life story while watching the news, but when a global audience watches this film, who might not have heard of the real-life incident, they are intrigued till the very end about whether or not the dog survives. What usually filmmakers of dog-related movies do is that they show the dog’s character a lot throughout in order to get the audience’s affection towards the dog. However, Herek has managed to get that emotion out of the audience even while showing the dog in very few scenes. He has kept the story stuck to a father-son narration and given away the harsh reality of the dog’s survival only at the climax. Masterstroke!

Nick Santora’s writing gave the perfect blend of thrill and feel-good factor to the story. Despite a predictability factor looming all through, the writing impresses by trying to focus on the bond between the father and the son, much more than the dog and its owner.

Michael Martinez’s cinematography is spot on. The locales that he has picked up make it your money’s worth. Every shot, whether it's thick inside of a jungle or an indoor shot looks so beautifully hit and so perfectly set up, that you’re left feeling like standing right beside the characters.

Amy P. McGrath keeps the story crisp and to the point. Not letting the film cross the 100-minute mark was a great thing.

Emily Bear’s music has the right intensity to bring in the necessary emotions at every juncture. The background score decently maintained its peaks and lows to give the viewer a feel-good moment to remember.

‘Dog Gone’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

‘Dog Gone’, despite being slightly predictable, doesn’t use the usual tropes a dog-related movie does. It creates a niche for itself in the way the screenplay has been presented, and it thoroughly keeps you entertained till the very end. Dog lover or not, this is definitely a Must Watch. I am going with 4 stars.