Often times, the timing is just perfect for a review. We were on our last week of school, all but a few lessons were complete, and we were experiencing our first heat wave here in coastal Carolina. Mill Creek Entertainment sent us the movie Life With Dog to watch and review at the perfect time! My teens we more than happy to have popcorn and watch a movie as part of their school day!
A Summary of Life With Dog
Joe Bigler (Corbin Bernsen) is a grieving husband after his wife, Alice (Marilu Henner) is mysteriously killed by a hit and run driver while riding her bicycle. Joe is angry, bitter, and his life is spiraling out of control with his obsession that Alice was not accidently killed, but murdered.
On top of not really knowing how to cope with his grief, Joe is also having the stress of dealing with land developers who want his home to make space for a new apartment complex. Joe even has some conspiracy theories as this may be the reason for his wife’s passing. He gets into a couple of intense confrontations with the builders and a banker that gets him in trouble.
Joe is not a believer, and has never been able to understand why Alice and their daughter, Zoe held to their faith when he could not make sense of some of the tragic events in their lives. A mysterious dog enters his life and will not leave, despite Joe’s uninterest. Joe slowly begins to accept the dog’s presence. Life With Dog has a couple of unexpected twists, and “Dog” as Joe names him, provides a subtle addition to the storyline that eventually leads him to the mystery of his wife’s death and plays a part in his own faith and road to recovery.
What we thought of Life With Dog
The movie was enjoyable for myself and young teens. It moves at a steady pace, and provides enough action to keep the interest up. There was a few moments of laughter to lighten the subject matter. It was nice to see a wholesome movie that we could all enjoy. Corbin Bernsen (Joe) did a fine job of showing grief and the kind of emotions that grief can stir – especially without Christ in your life. There were a couple of violent scenes, but were true to the character and the emotions he was going through. The take home message in Life With Dog is about forgiveness and moving forward. I would recommend the movie to families with children 12 and up, due to the mature content.
The DVD release of Life With Dog will be available at Walmart stores starting June 4, 2019. It is also available on Amazon for rent or purchase. If you are looking for family friendly movies for the summer, this would be a good choice! Click the banner below to see what other families thought of the movie.
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