A Dog's Purpose

Play trailer

2:28

A Dog's Purpose

PG

2017

2h 0m

Comedy

Drama

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

147 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

A devoted dog discovers the meaning of its own existence through the lives of the humans it teaches to laugh and love. Reincarnated as multiple canines over the course of five decades, the lovable pooch develops an unbreakable bond with a kindred spirit named Ethan. As the boy grows older and comes to a crossroad, the dog once again comes back into his life to remind him of his true self.

Critics Consensus

A Dog's Purpose offers an awkward blend of sugary sentiment and canine suffering that tugs at animal-loving audiences' heartstrings with shameless abandon.

Read Critics Reviews

Tara Brady

Irish Times

06/14/2017

3/5

A welcome, woofy warning against human speciesism.

Go to Full Review

Jake Wilson

The Age (Australia)

05/10/2017

1.5/5

This remains a textbook example of what the website Snopes.com refers to as "glurge" -- the kind of gooey uplift associated with the novels of Nicholas Sparks and their film adaptations.

Go to Full Review

Simran Hans

Observer (UK)

05/07/2017

2/5

It's hard not to be charmed by the film's pack of hyperactive, wriggling puppies, but there's only so much time to be spent watching them play before it becomes eye-wateringly banal.

Go to Full Review

Hosea Rupprecht

Pauline Media Studies

08/26/2021

Lasse Hallström once again provides theater-goers with some food for thought in A Dog's Purpose. Of course, the food tastes better out of the trash and bacon from under the table is just the best.

Go to Full Review

Linda and Al Lerner

Movies and Shakers

09/04/2019

It's a safe family film that's a heart tugger for dog lovers.

Go to Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

03/12/2019

C

The problem with that premise is you have to watch a dog die 5 times, which is like Marley and Me times 5.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Samantha S

@RT31208908 14h

Excuse me while I go hug my dog for 3 hours.

See more

Easton B

@Ebmoviemaster2026 2d

Here is my spoiler free review on a dog’s purpose and this was a really enjoyable movie. To start off I like how they didn’t use cgi in this movie to make it feel real and in the dog’s perspective, I think it exploits the themes of this movie perfectly. Speaking of the themes, the themes taught in this movie are fantastic. The themes about life and how a dog will always be there for you just makes the movie more emotional and enjoyable. The cast is great and Josh Gad just makes the dog more funnier. The movie is very emotional and will probably make you cry. I thought the plot was very interesting that dogs would come back to life and live different lives. Overall the movie is very enjoyable and delivers very emotional and great themes.

See more

Michael D

@RT54178660 Mar 27

A roller coaster of emotion.

See more

Declan D.

@filmbuffkid Mar 6

Well that left me depressed.

See more

The C

@HearthMovies Jan 20

An alright film that definitely pulls at your heart. It is quite sad a points and kind of props up this reincarnation of dogs concept. I find the human characters a little boring and forgettable at points but the dog (Bailey) is a nice representation of what everyone imagines a dog thinks like. In general the film ends well and is pretty good but is a little boring.

See more

Ren Y

@HeronR3n Jan 7

Heartwarming but also bittersweet. A real tear-jerker.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Lasse Hallström

Director

Josh Gad

Bailey

Dennis Quaid

Ethan Montgomery

Peggy Lipton

Adult Hannah

Bryce Gheisar

Ethan - 8 Years Old

K.J. Apa

Teen Ethan

A Dog's Journey

53%

91%

A Dog's Journey

Watchlist

TRAILER

for A Dog's Journey

Nine Lives

14%

41%

Nine Lives

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Nine Lives

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

54%

84%

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Resurrection of Gavin Stone

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

36%

67%

The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Watchlist

The Hundred-Foot Journey

69%

81%

The Hundred-Foot Journey

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Hundred-Foot Journey

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

A Dog's Purpose: TV Spot - Now Playing

0:30

A Dog's Purpose: Trailer 1

2:28

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

A devoted dog discovers the meaning of its own existence through the lives of the humans it teaches to laugh and love. Reincarnated as multiple canines over the course of five decades, the lovable pooch develops an unbreakable bond with a kindred spirit named Ethan. As the boy grows older and comes to a crossroad, the dog once again comes back into his life to remind him of his true self.

Director: Lasse Hallström
Producer: Gavin Polone
Screenwriter: W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Pariah, Walden Media, Reliance Entertainment, Universal Pictures
Rating: PG (Thematic Elements|Some Peril)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 27, 2017, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 18, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $64.3M
Runtime: 2h 0m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby Atmos, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)