Written and directed by Danny LeGare, when a stray dog follows 12-year-old Bridget through her small town, she embarks on an unexpected journey, discovering loyalty, courage, and the joy of an unlikely friendship along the way. Starring: Rylie Pennington, Eric Roberts, Marika Domińczyk, Robert Ri’chard, Jeremy London, Dan Lauria, Mark Famiglietti, Ashley Ottesen, Sal Rendino and Analise Scarpaci.
Creating a good family film, made primarily for children, but that adults can still enjoy is a deceptively difficult task. To craft that balance of tones, so it can be silly, a little cheesy and truly wholesome, without becoming artificial, overly melodramatic or a pantomime of itself, is more delicate than people probably give it credit for, but Danny LeGare has put together a fantastic example with Not My Dog. A big part of that feels like this is one made for the late Gen Xers and earlier Millennials, it draws a lot from that late 1980s and 1990s era of family cinema, which will be near and dear to so many viewers.
LeGare does a wonderful job of tapping into that playfulness, the tongue-in-cheek comedy, and having a big heart. That combination of tones is reminiscent of a Christmas flick, with its warmth and wholesome nature, especially being shot at a snowy time of year. The writing has natural dialogue, there’s a surprisingly good banter, a nice touch of sarcasm and theatricality, and it moves really well. Coming in at eighty-minutes, it’s able to keep a great pacing, and easily hold onto your attention as it’s constantly adding to its charming low-key adventure.
There’s a lot of nods to beloved films throughout which are satisfying to watch, and the direction isn’t too static. With films like this the camera movement can become far too simple, but LeGare adds some good energy. Especially with the help of the editing work, again something which can often fall short in some family flicks. There are also some terrific location choices which have a great deal of personality to add to the aesthetic. The attention to those details helps Not My Dog to stand out.
With everything behind the camera working as it should, it sets the stage for arguably the most important element of Not My Dog, the lead performance from Rylie Pennington. That’s the other aspect which often falls short and throws off the whole film, because without a good lead, it’s too difficult to get invested in the film, but rest assured, Pennington does not disappoint as Bridget. In fact, she’s practically perfect, she brings a great personality to the table, she’s endearing, easy to watch, clever, curious, confident and respectful. It’s effortless to watch her reluctantly run around town with her newfound four-legged friend, bumping into a ragtag bunch of residents.
That’s another element which Not My Dog does well, its cameos. They don’t feel foisted in just to stick a name on the poster, each of the appearances feel organic, and they all have something to add. It’s really enjoyable to watch her learn something from each of the familiar faces, or just be irked by them. Another element which deserves a lot of credit is Danny LeGare is able to pull off a sporadic duet between Rylie Pennington and Analise Scarpaci. Something that in film so often feels forced, awkward or uncomfortable but here fits in unexpectedly well, and it’s a nice, sweet moment.
Not My Dog is a fantastic choice for people with beloved films of their own childhoods from the late 1980s and 1990s, now with their own kids, to share a wholesome piece of viewing. It’s got a great, humble personality right from the start and it’s an easy, enjoyable watch. It’s cute, nostalgic, warm, and has a nice message about getting away from the devices and having a little adventure of your own, because you never know what you might find or learn.
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