20th Century Fox
Dog movies are all the craze right now. The Art of Racing in the Rain is the third wide-release movie this year about dogs. In January, A Dog’s Way Home was released and then four months later A Dog’s Journey hit theaters. Although the new 20th Century Fox movie has a clever title for a dog film, it feels all too familiar to the other dog films. Most movies that feature a family and a dog are all set up the same. A family, or in this movie’s case, a single man, gets a dog, the family learns the importance of having a dog in their life, the dog gets old, he appreciates his time with the family, and we learn how animals can teach us more about life. I mostly stay away from movies about dogs because of Marley and Me. I have the hardest time watching a dog in pain or passing away.
The Art of Racing in the Rain is based on a 2008 book of the same name by Garth Stein. Denny Swift (Milo Ventimiglia) is a Formula One race car driver who uses his techniques on the racetrack to navigate through life. He enjoys a lengthy career as a driver while also being with the love of his life Eve (Amanda Seyfried) and having a daughter. Through this all he has a loyal golden retriever who witnesses all the ups and downs of Denny’s life. The movie is narrated by Kevin Costner, who voices Enzo, and he recounts his life with Denny and how racing has affected his and Denny’s lives.
Kevin Costner is a great actor. Costner has a soothing voice, but it ultimately feels like he is reading a book. The story is structured as Enzo narrating his life after an opening sequence where he was nearing the end of his life. I don’t mind the choice of Costner voicing the dog, but he lacks the emotions to make the scenes feel powerful. Enzo witnessed a lot in Denny’s life, but everything Enzo talked about in the movie felt like a metaphor. Costner’s narration felt way too philosophical and repetitive. The theme of reincarnation appeared a lot in the movie and how after one is finished with their life, they will serve a new life as someone else. Enzo hoped that he would end up being a human because he felt more human than dog because of his life with Denny.
I enjoyed the human stories more than the dog story. Don’t get me wrong, I thought the dog was cute, but Kevin Costner didn’t spark any emotions into the dog. Enzo has been in Denny’s life from before he met Eve, to many life changing moments for his owner. Some signification moments are brushed off to the side, but other moments are given more time. I thought the progression of Denny’s life and his time with Enzo felt realistic and it was well-handled. The emotional moments from Denny and his family felt earned and I enjoyed Milo Ventimiglia’s performance and how he handled the emotional moments. Amanda Seyfried was also a great addition to the movie. She ended up marrying Denny, and Enzo had a hard time adjusting to the fact that someone new was entering his life. Although the film followed the same formula as other dog movies, it ended in a sweet fashion which dealt with reincarnation, something Enzo had been preparing himself for.
The Art of Racing in the Rain feels way too familiar but is held up by a decent story surrounding the humans. I won’t lie, I did tear up at the end. That is what dog movies do to me. It was nice though to see a golden retriever for almost two hours. He was so cute!
The Art of Racing in the Rain has a run time of 1 hour 49 minutes and is rated PG for thematic material.
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