I want to preface this review by saying that if you have any interest in A Dog’s Way Home, DO NOT watch the full trailer for it if you haven’t already. I’m generally opposed to modern trailers because they tend to give away too much plot, but A Dog’s Way Home is one of the worst offenders of this in that it literally shows every story beat in it, including the ending! And look, I’m not saying that a movie like A Dog’s Way Home is meant to be some high art that features complex storytelling with crazy twists and turns. It’s a dog movie, you know what you’re getting, and most likely you’re going to be able to predict what happens during the movie. However, there will be no surprises in the movie if you do watch the trailer (like I’ve unfortunately had to since it played before so many movies that I saw in theaters), so if you want a fresh experience of this, just watch it.

As the name implies, A Dog’s Way Home is about a dog that’s trying to find his way home. Basically, a dog is taken away to stay a few days at a relative’s house, and the dog escapes from the caretaker’s house to try to get home. She’s about 400 miles away from home though, and so she has a long and dangerous journey ahead of her. Along the way, she will meet a variety of friends and enemies. It’s a pretty standard plot for a dog movie, and you’ve likely seen some kind of movie similar to this already. Think Homeward Bound, but with one pet instead of three.

Needless to say, you’re not going to want to see A Dog’s Way Home for any kind of groundbreaking innovation or high-class filmmaking. If you want to see A Dog’s Way Home, it’s going to be because you love dogs, and want to see a dog movie. This makes for an easy kind of recommendation, because you’re likely going to know whether or not this movie is for you just by the title. If you’re typically a sucker for dog movies (I know I am), then A Dog’s Way Home will probably work for you. If you’re typically cynical about these kinds of movies, then you honestly shouldn’t waste your time, because it’s not going to be anything groundbreaking, and you likely won’t find anything in this movie that’s missing from other dog movies.

Like I said, I’m kind of a sucker for dog movies, so I actually did enjoy A Dog’s Way Home. They’re kind of my kryptonite, like how Lifetime or Hallmark movies tend to affect other people. So, both the highest compliment and biggest criticism I can give for A Dog’s Way Home is that it did what it was supposed to, and that’s about it. These kinds of movies are designed to feature cute dogs and touching stories about those cute dogs, and that’s what this movie does. There are moments where I said “awww,” and there were moments where I got emotional. I became attached to the dog in the movie, and so I enjoyed following her journey for an hour and a half. Don’t get me wrong, A Dog’s Way Home isn’t a standout in the genre, and so I don’t think it will remain as memorable to people like Marley & Me or other dog movies that people have become attached to. It’s not anything amazing, but I got what I wanted from it. If you’re itching for a new dog movie, then you’ll probably like A Dog’s Way Home.

3.5/5