On Friday, January 13, Netflix presented another weekend novelty. This is a dramatic story about a lost Labrador retriever named Gonker, based on real events. In the review below, we tell you whether viewers should stock up on tissues before watching.

“Dog Gone” / Dog Gone

Genre biographical, drama, family
Director Stephen Herek
In roles Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Johnny Berchtold, Nick Payne
Premiere Netflix
Graduation year 2023
Site IMDb

Fielding Marshall is a failed graduate with no ambitions for his future. He is going through an unfortunate period in his personal life, so he decides to heal his mental wounds with the help of friendship with a pet. The guy goes to the nearest animal shelter and gets a cute light labrador.

While Fielding’s peers are gradually starting to build careers in various cool companies (such giants as Boeing and Anheuser-Busch are mentioned), Fielding is doing yoga with his dog and drinking beer. However, this free carefree idleness comes to an end when the boy is forced to move in with his parents, John and Ginny.

One fine day, Fielding walks with his fellow student and Gonker in the forest, but later the dog does not respond to the call. As a result, the whole family decides to quit their business and search for the lost dog. The situation is complicated by the fact that the Marshalls need to find a pet within 20 days, because he is sick and needs a monthly dose of special medicine.

In addition to being a real-life story in 1998, it’s also an adaptation of Pauls Tutongi’s 2016 book Dog Gone: The Lost Pet’s Extraordinary Journey and Family Who Brought Him Home. The original source paid attention not only to the search for the dog, but also to the family relationships of the main characters.

The film tries to follow the same path, but superficially, without delving into drama. The actors somehow depict some differences in views, so you can put a tick on the topic of parents-children. There is also a separate storyline for Kimberly Williams-Paisley’s character, which is shown in flashbacks. But it is shown dotted and does not add significant depth to the story.

The lack of dramatic nerve could be compensated by exciting adventures. But the father and son’s journey along the Appalachian Trail is more like a leisurely stroll through the park than a rather grueling trek through a wooded area. A suspiciously younger Rob Lowe, star of the procedural drama “9-1-1: Lone Star,” always looks as fresh here as in some deodorant commercial.

In general, the friendship between pets, especially dogs, and their owners, as well as the various trials on their way, is a very fertile cinematic theme. Such tapes are constrained by certain frameworks, but their main purpose is to evoke sincere emotions, empathy, feelings of kindness and warmth in the viewer. And, of course, to inspire.

The new director of “101 Dalmatians” Steven Herek has problems with this point. After all, the script does not offer the characters extremely difficult tests that they have to overcome in order to be reunited with their retriever. The action takes place in a light, relaxed atmosphere, and Rob Lowe manages to crack a few jokes.

That is why, at the moment of the greatest joy, there is no powerful emotional surge that, according to the idea, plots of this kind should cause. But at the same time, calling the tape “disappeared dog” will not bring back the catastrophically unsuccessful language.

This is just a mediocre film, devoid of expressive sentimentality and charm. Especially compared to the best examples of paintings about the relationship between people and their four-legged friends. And the answer to the above question: handkerchiefs are not needed. It is better to take popcorn with you and include something more interesting.

Pros:
light story, beautiful scenery, cute dog

Cons:
weak drama, lack of exciting adventures, restrained emotionality, general low ambition of the project

Conclusion:

“The Lost Dog” cannot be called a worthless film. It aims to interest viewers who cannot imagine their life without a barking pet. The tape can be a reason to gather the whole family near the screen, which is already good in itself.

However, the works of Stephen Herek have no chance of getting into the list of favorite films about domestic animals. And after the final credits, it is unlikely that she will ever be remembered again