The Five Best Movies for Dog Lovers

Dog owners are a curious breed. Sure, we can come from every race, creed, background and gender but we are all just absolutely, positively nuts for our mutts (or purebreds as the case may be). So it just stands to reason that we are attracted to seeing true to life cinematic representations of our best friends at the movies.

Dogs rarely talk back (although my dog Daisy Mae does a wonderful impersonation of a whining child), they love you unconditionally and they always seem to know what is going on with you. Dogs can sense an emotional place in humans that other humans can't get to. That always has been and remains the most powerful gift that dogs possess.

But just like with any movie, the chances are 90 to 1 that you are going to wind up renting a dog themed movie that smells worse than a kitty litter box. Hollywood loves to pump out thoughtless, gimmicky bile like the atrocious "Dogs & Cats 2" that flopped last summer. Although I did see the first "Dogs & Cats" film, never once in the time I spent watching it or in the days after did I think it was worthy of a sequel. Frankly, it wasn't worth a Diet Dr. Pepper and a Tic-Tac.

The main problem with "Dogs & Cats" was that it tried to be all things to all dog owners. There were so many canine and feline characters crammed into this movie that the producers no doubt figured it would expand the appeal of the film exponentially. A can't lose hit!

I have never heard a dog or cat owner say they loved that movie. Most are too embarrassed and traumatized to admit that they ever watched it. So why did this big budget talking animal movie flop?

Simply put, it was because none of the canine or feline personas felt right-they were cartoonish characterizations obviously rendered by people who weren't allowed to even have a hamster when they were kids. Have you ever met a movie producer? You know what I am referring to.

All of the great animal films listed below star dogs and cats that look nothing like any pet I have or will own in the future. But they all still possess that loyal, faithful, honest and sympathetic demeanor that is part of dog (and cat) nature. Too bad immortality isn't part of their nature. That would be cool.

Milo & Otis

This is an animal movie starring a little dog and a little cat that embark on this tremendous yet monumentally pointless journey through forests, lakes, mountain and other truly breathtaking scenery. No matter, this film is French so understanding it isn't a requirement. It may be to most experimental animal film ever made but it gets its point across.

You know, that animals can communicate everything they need to communicate even without the gift of speech. Can you imagine owning a chatty dog or cat? That would be the end of man's (or woman's) best friend!

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey

I am so embarrassed to admit this but I love this movie so much that I sometimes watch it at home alone on a Saturday night just to have a good cry. I have watched it so many times that I know all the dialogue (or dog-alogue). Yes, this was and still remains the best talking dog movie hands down.

If you haven't watched it I highly recommend it. The human/animal voices are done by Michael J. Fox (the young pup Chance), the late Don Ameche (Shadow) and a positively delicious Sally Field as Sassy, the very demanding feline diva in the family.

And if you don't cry during the last 10 minutes then I feel sorry for you not having the responsibility of dog ownership when you were young. I think it really does wonders for kids (of a certain age) to have a pet who is completely dependent on them. Okay, and sometimes mom and dad but you get the point.

Eight Below

I really had low expectations of this film when I went to go see it mainly because I thought Paul Walker was an actor who skidded along (rather successfully) on his good looks. But in this film he actually looks like he is feeling something, like he is being torn apart by a dog owner's worst nightmare.

Yes, he had to abandon his team of sled dogs in the Alaskan Wilderness for the whole season because of a huge storm. No, I won't tell you how it ends but I warn you it was made by Disney.

Old Yeller

The timeless story of a boy and his dog. The timeless story of a dog that gets rabies and then has to be shot. Okay, maybe that's not so timeless. But "Old Yeller" offers kids a primer on the notion that they need to be prepared for the day when their dog dies. No matter how painful that story may be, it will happen to all of us.

Best in Show

Directed with precision by the brilliant Christopher Guest (This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman), "Best in Show" expertly lampoons how much love humans lavish on their dogs. The best way to demonstrate that is to do a faux-documentary with all of your favorite actor friends! So that is just what Mr. Guest went out and did.

So what's the craziest thing about this masterpiece? All of the dialogue was totally improvised. And this movie is utterly hysterical. The only people I have found who don't like "Best in Show" are people who don't own any pets.

How sad for them! No pets and no laughter!

Source:

IMDb.com (Internet Movie Database)