Dog Gone Parent Guide

Fielding (Johnny Berchtold) is in his senior year of college but feels aimless. As all of his friends are landing impressive post-graduation jobs, he still has no idea what he wants to do with his life. On a whim, he goes to a local shelter and adopts a puppy, a golden retriever he affectionately names “Gonker”. Fielding’s parents (Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley), who are already not thrilled about having their adult son move back home with them, are not impressed by the high energy, barely trained animal that is creating havoc. Gonker’s affectionate nature soon wins them both over and soon the whole family is head over heels in love with him.

After some troubling medical symptoms, Gonker is rushed to an animal hospital where he is diagnosed with Addison’s disease, which can be fatal if not treated with an injection every 30 days. Soon after, Gonker goes missing while on the Appalachian Trail. With only 21 days to go until his next shot, the family set out on a desperate search to find their dog, before it’s too late.

Film is an art for which success is measured by how well it identifies its purpose and audience. Not every movie needs to be Oscar-worthy or groundbreaking. Sometimes a film can just be nice and that is enough. Dog Gone is a perfect example of this. It’s not particularly original or compelling, but it’s earnest and sweet. For a general family audience, that’s not a bad thing to be.

Though the story itself is straightforward and charming, the dialogue is often clunky and unnatural. The primary actors are skilled enough to smooth over some of the bumpiness, but many of the side characters aren’t very good actors to begin with, making their dialogue seem even worse by comparison.

With almost no negative content, Dog Gone is a good choice for most audiences. Though not terribly exciting or original, the touching true story is sure to warm a few hearts. The relationship between Fielding and his dad is sure to resonate with many families, even if it resolves a little too neatly to be completely realistic. At the very least, there are multiple cute dogs to look at, which is reason enough to watch a movie in my book!