These days, it seems every fading Hollywood star is making a movie about a dog. Many are “family” films full of dopey hijinks. Harrison Ford went for old school, 1960s-Disney-style “family,” in that there’s all kinds of death and violence, but there’s also furry animals to make it OK. It’s been 40 years since I read the “The Call of the Wild” and I won’t quibble with using CG dogs to enliven Jack London’s literary vision. The film does capture the cold lonesomeness of Alaska and the book’s spirit of adventure while also being emotionally manipulative enough for modern audiences.
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It starts out sad and gets more depressing from there. Yet there’s something compelling about “The Art of Racing in the Rain” (2019). As hypnotic as a puppy’s gaze, it sinks its teeth into you and will not release until it makes good on its unspoken aim: You will cry. Narrated by Kevin Costner, the golden retriever of American actors, it’s a dogography steeped in mysticism, tracing the life of Enzo from the moment he meets his race-car-driving, chronically unlucky Job of a human until the two take one last, precious, lap around the track. And, perhaps, beyond. Good boy.
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