Director: Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin
Writers: Reid Carolin and Brett Rodriguez
Stars: Channing Tatum, Ethan Suplee
Synopsis: Two former Army Rangers are paired against their will on the road trip of a lifetime. Briggs (Channing Tatum) and Lulu (a Belgian Malinois) race down the Pacific Coast to get to a fellow soldier’s funeral on time.
Throughout the 2010s, Channing Tatum had as big as any start in Hollywood. Whether it be his comedic roles in the Jump Street films, his sex appeal in the Magic Mike movies, or his various cameos (This is the End…still shocking), the dude was a Star. But then he disappeared after 2017. In recent months, we’ve learned that he had some family struggles, some passion projects of his fell through, and generally he felt he just needed a break. Additionally, in early 2018 he lost his dear friend, and real life dog, Lulu. It’s safe to say that Tatum was going through a lot and it makes sense that he would step away for some time (aside from doing a few vocal performances).
Given that context, it’s fascinating that his first movie after his hiatus, in which we see Tatum on-screen, is a movie called Dog. One based off his own where the main character is also called Lulu. Finding closure is one of the most potent human experiences and there’s no doubt that making Dog was a way to find catharsis and healing for him. Perhaps that’s why he decided to co-direct this movie as well, as he wanted to make sure it would be exactly what he needed it to be.
Dog is about two former Army Rangers, one of them being Tatum’s character of Jackson Briggs, who is struggling with PTSD and some sort of brain injury that keeps him from re-joining the Rangers. The other is the aforementioned Lulu, who is also suffering from PTSD and healing from gunshot wounds. Early on in the film we learn that Lulu’s handler, Riley, recently died in a car crash. This gives Briggs an opportunity to rejoin the army as he’s tasked with driving Lulu from Washington to Arizona for Riley’s funeral. If he’s successful, his captain will make the phone call necessary to get Briggs back in action.
However, as one can imagine, things do not go according to plan. In one scene early on as Briggs is trying to engage two women in a potential sexual encounter (a moment that is weird, but humorous), Lulu is barking her head off and it gets the attention of one passerby who tries to get her out. Lulu is a highly trained warrior, though, and maybe he shouldn’t have done that. Later, there is another scene in which Lulu escapes her leash and runs into the woods where he finds a marijuana farm. Things get a little strange from there. Not to mention the hotel scene, as prominently showcased in the trailer for Dog, where Briggs pretends to be blind so they can get a free hotel room. If you’ve seen that trailer, you’ll know it ends in awkward fashion.
What’s so compelling about the film and its levity, though, is that it’s somewhat of a ruse. Dog markets itself as a buddy-comedy, with some screwball elements to it, but in totality it isn’t that at all. At its core, it’s more of a poignant, psychological examination of two Army veterans who are broken and in need of healing. As mentioned, we learn that Briggs and Lulu have their psychological and physical wounds, but there’s also a familial component. Briggs has an estranged daughter. Lulu has lost her handler and friend. We also find out she has a brother who is also an Army vet. Tonally speaking, there is much gaiety throughout Dog, but mostly it becomes an emotional look at two Rangers who find purpose and healing in each other.
That idea sounds more schmaltzy than what it actually is in execution. Which is where Tatum and partner Reid Carolin thrive as directors here. There are scenes in Dog that could have been imbued with manipulative sentimentality, but they do a great job of avoiding convention. In the film’s most potent scenes, where Lulu is vulnerable, there’s no music to heighten emotion. There’s no elevated filmmaking to manufacture drama. Tatum and Carolin keep things simple and keep things organic. It’s a simple close up on Tatum where his facial mannerisms elicit a hefty response because we care about Briggs and Lulu. The film earns its conclusions.
It also works because of its sincerity. Dog is a movie that, shocking I know, loves dogs. Lulu isn’t just some animal that the military uses and then disregards. Not at the individual level, anyway. Riley maintained a book for Lulu that not only detailed her military experiences, but also featured poems he had written for her. There’s another scene with Noah (Ethan Suplee) midway through the film where we see he has adopted Lulu’s brother, another Ranger vet, and talks about his love for him. And of course, there’s Briggs and his journey with Lulu that eventually showcases how he finds purpose in his relationship with her. The overlords in Washington may see these dogs as expendable, but they mean something profound to the people who interact with them every day. There may be a small sliver of sentimentality with that idea, but it is mostly handled with diligence and affection.
We haven’t seen Tatum on screen for five years and Dog quintessentially proves why we love him. He gives another magnetic performance that’s funny at times, but his genuine turn in the back half is quite moving. He also shows great promise as a director. If he gets behind the camera again, consider me very excited. This is especially true if he finds material that he’s passionate about as we see with Dog. At times, the film is tonally jarring and the narrative meanders in ways that could be distracting, but those are small quibbles in the grand scheme of it all. Go see Dog, you won’t regret it.
