Channing Tatum in ‘Dog’: Film Review

Despite his status as one of Hollywood’s reigning hunks and such popular flicks as The Vow and Dear John, Channing Tatum actually hasn’t done all that many romantic movies in his career. His latest effort doesn’t technically alter that fact, though the actor lovingly caresses, speaks adoringly to and shares a bathtub with an equally gorgeous female co-star. That said co-star is a Belgian Malinois should in no way deter Tatum’s many fans from checking him out in his first starring role in five years.

Tatum also co-directed (with his Magic Mike collaborator Reid Carolin) this obvious passion project, inspired by a 2017 HBO documentary, War Dog: A Soldier’s Best Friend, that they executive produced. In this fictional version, the actor plays Jackson Briggs, an Army Ranger desperate to see action again after getting sidelined by a brain injury that induces seizures. To get back into his commanding officer’s good graces, he accepts an assignment to drive Lulu, an Army dog who served in Afghanistan, some 1,500 miles in his lovingly restored ’84 Bronco so the canine, herself traumatized by her wartime experiences, can attend the funeral of her late handler.

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Cue the expected bumps in the road, as this combination buddy/road trip movie chronicles the duo’s series of misadventures while they slowly warm up to each other. Carolin’s episodic script veers uneasily between social drama and broad comedy as Briggs and Lulu encounter numerous obstacles and a variety of eccentric characters, stretching credibility along the way. They include Briggs’ ill-fated romantic encounter with a pair of new age-y Portland women; briefly becoming the captive of an overly suspicious pot grower (Kevin Nash) and his psychic wife (Jane Adams); getting arrested after pretending to be blind to score a free room in a fancy hotel; and using Lulu’s Army skills to track down the criminal who broke into his car and stole its contents.

That’s an awful lot to go wrong on one road trip, even if Briggs is a bit of a bumbler and Lulu has post-traumatic stress and anger issues that result in such behavior as her tearing the car’s seats to shreds. But audiences are likely to go along for the ride anyway, so to speak, thanks to the abundant charms of the two stars (well, actually four, since three canines play Lulu, named for Tatum’s own late, beloved dog). Five years away from leading roles have done nothing to lessen the actor’s low-key charisma and comedic skills (nor, judging by his numerous shirtless scenes, has the time off eroded his fitness level). As for the trio of animals who play Lulu, suffice it to say that if the film is a hit, kennels won’t be able to breed Belgian Malinoises fast enough. Forget the near-naked stripper gyrations in Magic Mike; when Tatum wraps his arm around Lulu as they sit and watch the sunset together, it’s the sexiest he’s ever been onscreen.

The film, resembling a sort of canine variation of Hal Ashby’s 1973 classic The Last Detail, skillfully walks a fine line by adopting a highly respectful view of the military while managing to be irreverent at the same time. It ultimately delivers a moving perspective on the physical and emotional toll suffered by those who fight our wars, with Briggs, who’s definitely not a dog lover, ultimately bonding with his canine charge when he realizes that they share a common psychic burden.

At the same time, after watching Dog, you may never be able utter the phrase, “Thank you for your service,” with a straight face ever again.