Dog is a roadtrip buddy dramedy about veteran Jackson Briggs(Channing Tatum), discharged after a traumatic head injury, tasked with taking military dog Lulu to her handler's(and his friend's) funeral in order to secure a recommendation from his CO to a mercenary company. Both Briggs and Lulu suffer from PTSD and have to contend with that, come together, and begin healing in order to get them to their destination.
Tatum doesn't sacrifice any of his comedic wattage but balances it out with his usual charm and a surprising, realistic, dynamic pathos. There is none of the frequently depicted PTSD type of indicators, he doesn't violently attack anyone, he doesn't brandish a gun for no reason, he's not unhinged but he's clearly in pain, but he moves forward. The script combined with Tatum's grounded approach make this not only unique in this type of portrayal but perhaps one of the more accurate. There's a list of excellent supporting actors that have what are in essence, stops on the trip, Jane Adams and Kevin Nash as a couple Briggs and Lulu run into, Ethan Suplee as a fellow veteran, Bill Burr as a SF cop- although each relatively brief(the film keeps the momentum going) they're all really effective and all the performances share Tatum's lead of grounded realistic emotion with a necessary streak of humor.
Visually simple but effective there is no flashy camera work, its all pretty nuts and bolts, not quite a surprise from first time directors Reid Carolin and Tatum himself(long time writing/producing partners) but it works and fits with the straightforward approach of the narrative and style. The story may seem from the description or from the trailer like something that could be saccharine or overly broad comedically but it has humor and heart in equal measure, has fun but also has something to say, an impressive balance of tone.
Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.
See It.
No comments:
Post a Comment