Netflix
Rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄
Description: A sage basset hound narrates how his family faces turmoil when Mrs. Goss falls into an induced coma, and a new Corgi pup helps unite the scattered household during their mother’s absence.
Overall Review: I hated this movie. And I’m giving it four trees. Allow me to explain.
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is actually a very well-made Christmas movie. The acting is incredibly strong, the scenery and sets are beautiful, and the story is genuinely moving. The production quality is excellent, and I can absolutely understand why some people are going to love every minute of it.
I am not one of those people.
You see, the movie opens with a dog narrating the action. And that’s where it lost me.
I’m sorry, but the moment an animal starts providing commentary on the lives of the humans around it, I’m out. I don’t care how adorable the dog is. I don’t care how heartwarming the story promises to be. I don’t need an animal explaining the emotional complexities of the human condition.
And yet, the frustrating thing is that underneath all the canine commentary, there’s a really good movie here. The human story is compelling. The characters were believable and the plot itself was emotionally moving. Had someone simply removed the dog’s internal monologue and allowed the story to unfold on its own, I might have been singing this movie’s praises.
Instead, I skipped ahead through much of the movie just to move the plot along. But here’s where I have to be fair. Just because something isn’t my taste doesn’t mean it’s bad. There is absolutely an audience for this kind of movie, and I suspect that audience will find it delightful. If you love dogs, sentimental Christmas stories, and the idea that your pet has been secretly narrating your life all along, congratulations. Netflix made this one specifically for you.
And they made it well.
So I’m doing something that feels almost physically painful: giving four trees to a movie I personally didn’t enjoy.
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