Universal Pictures
Bailey the ‘Boss Dog’ is back with his boy, Ethan (Dennis Quaid), and his girl, Hannah (Marg Helgenberger), in the highly-anticipated sequel to 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose. At the beginning of A Dog’s Journey, the newlyweds are still living happily ever after, except for the drama Hannah’s daughter-in-law Gloria (Betty Gilpin) brings. After being widowed early, she and their baby CJ move into the farmhouse temporarily but just long enough to steal Ethan, Hannah, and Bailey’s hearts. Bailey especially liked the addition of a toddler in the house because everything she dropped while eating became food for him. ‘She drops it. I eat it. That’s how it works.’ And then Gloria decides to take her away because she’s a selfish shrew. There’s no other reason for her wanting to keep CJ away from her grandparents aside from petty jealousy, like she was afraid CJ would grow to love them more. Not long after their untimely departure, Bailey was once again at the end – or perhaps the beginning – of his journey. It was heartrending to see Ethan say goodbye to him again, not knowing if they would ever be reunited.
However, Bailey soon finds himself reborn in the form of a dog named Molly and remembers his new purpose in life (given to him by Ethan) is to protect CJ at all costs. Poor CJ is now 11 years old and living a lonely life, babysitting herself while her ‘mother’ goes out on dates. Molly/Bailey quickly becomes her best friend, aside from a boy named Trent who adopted Molly’s favorite brother, Rocky. Flash-forward to teenage CJ, who has a dream of moving to New York City and becoming a famous singer/songwriter. She should’ve listened to her protector Molly who tried to warn her Shane was bad news and Trent/Rocky belonged in their pack in his stead. And again, when CJ is in her twenties, when her furry protector Max tried to get her to replace Barry with Trent. I’m starting to believe people who say never trust a person an animal doesn’t like. Bailey seemed to have a knack for knowing who belonged together, who made each other happier than anyone else in this life. Perhaps people should trust their pets’ judgment more often.
What I love most about this franchise is Josh Gad voicing Bailey in his various reincarnations. He has such a cuddly, soothing voice – I also love him as Olaf in Disney’s Frozen. I could listen to him talk for hours. And the insights from the dog’s perspective are at times profound and at other times hilariously spot-on. I’m not even a dog person at heart, but these movies really spoke to me. No matter how many times Bailey is reincarnated, and even though I know his journey is far from over, every time I had to watch him die and be reborn, it broke my heart a little more.
This franchise poses an interesting question I’d never considered before: are humans and animals sometimes soulmates, destined to be together over and over in this lifetime and beyond? Bailey was first destined to find and save Ethan time and again, and then CJ. An animal is capable of unconditional love, loving a person for their imperfections as much as their lovable qualities they show to others. Seeing CJ finally reunited with Ethan and Hannah was immensely satisfying, although maybe not quite as much as seeing Bailey reunited with Ethan.
So, what was Bailey’s purpose in life? To let the people he loved know that he loved them, throughout all the hellos and goodbyes, in this beautiful, neverending journey full of love and companionship. Whether you’re a dog lover by nature or just someone curious about the meaning of life, I give A Dog’s Journey two paws up – check it out today on DVD or Blu-ray from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. There are also bonus features galore, including deleted scenes, gag reels, heartwarming making-of vignettes, and more. You and your family won’t be disappointed.
Universal Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with a Blu-ray version of the film for reviewing purposes.
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