“Dog – Happiness Has Four Paws” is not only a movie for dog fans, but also for Channing Tatum fans, because it comes from a very special chapter Channing Tatum Life inspires – the road trip the actor made in 2018 with his terminally ill pit bull mix Lulu.
Lulu is also the name of the dog that plays the leading role in “Dog – Happiness Has Four Paws”. You can check out the directorial debut of “Magic Mike” star Channing Tatum, which he launched with co-director Reid Carolin, from now on at no extra cost as a streaming subscription Prime Video.
Tatum not only sat in the director’s chair, but also took on the lead role himself. He plays traumatized ex-Army Ranger Jackson Briggs, who has hit rock bottom and is looking for a new job when he receives news of the death of his comrade Riley Rodriguez (Eric Urbiztondo). Now Briggs must take the dog Rodriguez served with to the handler’s funeral in Arizona. If he succeeds, Briggs’ boss may want to reconsider him for more responsible roles.
So Briggs goes on a road trip along the coast with Belgian Shepherd Lulu. But it won’t be a walk: After being injured in action, Lulu is barely controlled and is aggressive and fearful. Briggs is initially unable to establish a connection with the animal, but little by little he gains Lulu’s trust, which also changes his view on many things…
“Dog – Happiness Has Four Paws” impresses with a lot of feeling
“Dog – Happiness Has Four Paws” is a mix of a buddy road movie and a feel-good film, which occasionally triggers a tissue alarm. Anyone who fears that this pleasant-sounding mix of genres is just mediocre fare can be reassured: Tatum has made a moving film in which his dedication to the subject and especially to his own deceased dog is clearly palpable. – and we rewarded that with no less than 3.5 out of 5 stars in our FILMSTARTS review.
‘Dog – Happiness Has Four Paws’ was so well received by the cinema audience that the road movie even became a surprise hit. With a budget of just $15 million, “Dog” grossed nearly $85 million worldwide, more than five times its cost. Few people expected that a film about a man and his dog would become such a success.