Life With Dog: A family movie from Mill Creek Entertainment {Movie Review}

I’m always on the lookout for good family movies. And if they have animals as a character, that’s a win in our house. When I had the chance to review Life with Dog from Mill Creek Entertainment, I hoped that it would be one the whole family would enjoy.
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About the Movie

Life with Dog follows Joe, a newly widowed man who is rapidly descending into bitterness following the death of his beloved wife of 43 years. Alice died in a tragic accident just a little ways from home
through a hit and run and he’s been left to pick up the pieces of his life. Things are spiraling as he becomes obsessed with what he sees as the reasons for her death—and begins to alienate all around him. Enter Dog. Dog is a stray that appears in Joe’s front yard one day. Dog won’t go away, even after Joe yells and sprays it. Eventually, Joe opens the door and lets Dog into his home and his heart and the healing begins.

Life With Dog is newly released on DVD at Walmart, but can also be rented/purchased on Amazon.

My Thoughts on the Movie

I wanted to watch this as a family, but NO ONE wanted to watch it with me. It’s not my husband’s style of movie and my boys left the room shortly after it got started. (sigh) So here is my own long and short of the matter.

#1 I loved the lead actor Corbin Bernsen (from the TV Show PSYCH). I have seen him in other shows and he is a very good solid character. He did very well portraying all the emotional baggage that Joe is going through.

#2 I thought the beginning was done pretty well. The movie begins with the intersection of the road where Joe’s wife is killed. It pans in and around. You see them loading her up in an ambulance. You see that she was clearly on a bicycle. And the scene ends with them taking her away and pans to a dog sitting on the sidewalk, clearly having seen the accident. This is a great introduction to the movie.

#3 I think the reactions and conversations that Joe has with different people—from his daughter Zoe to Pastor Frank are very believable for someone in the middle of grief. The questioning of “if there is a God, why would He let this happen to someone so amazing?” The desire to latch onto something to blame. This very believable for anyone who has lost a loved one to an accident.

#4 Honestly, I had to fast forward a few dialogue scenes. I felt like they just spent too long on Joe’s obsession with someone murdering his wife. I got tired of listening to him ranting and raving about it to everyone.

#5 I felt like the relationship with Dog and Joe needed to be explored more. I never felt like Dog had really done all this amazing stuff to help Joe. It didn’t really match the idea of “Life With Dog”.

#6 I just wasn’t a fan of the ending. I was like—“that’s it?” It didn't have any real resolution. It needed closure and I really don’t feel like I got any. It needed like that one more scene—an epilogue of sorts. Too many unanswered questions.

Other than that, I must say that they found the mangiest dog for this movie. LOL. He encapsulated everything one imagines when they hear the word “stray”. 🐶

I would give the movie Life with Dog 3 out of 5 stars. It really was just average. Not the best, not the worst movie ever. My boys (Age 8 and 13) were bored with it. My husband had zero interest. Yes, it’s a family friendly movie…but my family just wasn’t hot on it.

Want to Know More?

If you would like to read other reviews on the movie Life With Dog from Mill Creek Entertainment, make sure you visit some of the other crew members blogs!

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