A Dog's Purpose

"If you’re someone who’s willing to risk life and limb to photographically preserve the souls of random canine passers-by on your Instagram, it’s likely that A Dog’s Purpose would appeal to that level of fanaticism. But even so, sometimes too much is too much, and this exercise in pupper schmaltz has definitely hit my ceiling. You’ll probably find more emotionally nuanced pet clickbait around."

"By the end, I was worn out by all the selfless devotion, all the joyous running across meadows and wheat fields while the camera soars as high as a dog's love for his human."

"It's hard to fault the movie's earnestness; Hallström's canine cinema pedigree (which includes the superior "Hachi: A Dog's Tale") shows through; and Rachel Portman's score is understandably sentimental without going completely saccharine."

"All that reincarnating is hard work, and watching it unfold is a slog too."

"Clumsily manipulative dreck."

"A manipulative script about dog reincarnation that whacks your emotions like a piñata - that's forgivable. But no mercy for a film charged with canine abuse behind the scenes. It shouldn't happen to a dog."

"It's hard to avoid repetition with this premise - even Bailey sounds a touch weary saying "here we go again" each time he's reincarnated."

"All the emotional resonance of a dog-themed novelty coffee-table book."

"While the human performers are more than adequate, there's no doubt that the canine stars carry the day. Their utter irresistibility helps a long way in terms of getting past the corny plot machinations of A Dog's Purpose."