Dog Man is silly, absurd, wacky, and may have you wiping away a tear at the end. At first, the antics are anything goes. The jokes come at you rapid fire. Blink, and you’ll miss a funny text. Talk, and you’ll miss two funny comments. You won’t be laughing out loud too often. Instead, you’ll smile and nod, thinking ‘very clever’ again and again. Meanwhile, your kids will be giggling and laughing at the Marx Bros.-like comedic anarchy.
There are emotional moments peppered throughout about loss and loneliness because, apparently, losing your head and your body is traumatic. In the end, characters are forced to make decisions about who they are. Everything changes. Kids learn a good lesson about how bad choices don’t define them (more on that in the next newsletter).
I didn’t expect Dog Man, a movie about the goofy, almost nonsensical book my kids read, to entertain me this much. I had a perma-smile until the emotional pepper grinds paid off. Then I had that puckered mouth expression like Louis Armstrong playing the trumpet that we all make when we don’t want to show emotion.
Dog Man is theater-worthy. You won’t be disappointed dropping a few bucks to see it with the kiddos. My next watch will be the first day it’s streaming. I realize now that I tried too hard to catch every joke. Next time, I’ll have a cooler sitting shotgun on my couch spot (with room for the kids) — and will let the goofy, anything-goes humor wash over me as I perma-smile away.
In theaters: Now
🎬🎬🎬
Where to watch
Rating: PG (Me: 5+)
Director: Peter Hastings
Starring: Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher
Run time: 1h 29m
Post-credits scenes: The credits feature an art montage. Nothing else.
Bathroom breaks: According to Run Pee…
- 23:30 “when Dog Man leaves the chief’s office.”
- 46:50 “when the smoke stacks start flashing red.”
Sequel? I wouldn’t be surprised given the film’s mild but positive success.
If you liked Dog Man, check out these films:
- Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017) (5+)
- Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (2023) (3+)
- The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (2015) (5+)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021) (6+)
- The Lego Movie (2014) (4+)
See more Pint-Sized Reviews
Find this title on the Family Film Recommendations list
