Movie Review: My Dog Tulip

Okay, so there's a movie out right now, called,"Max".  You know the story, heck, you can probably figure out the entire plot by just watching the trailer. Obviously, it's designed for children, warmongers, Cheneys and GOP members, but you get the gist. Military good. Dogs good. Mix well.  No names in the credits, save money and you have counterprogramming.

But here's the thing. If you look into the eyes of law, a dog is not a person. They are not the military hero the movie portrays.

They are a glorified gun, in reality.

Sorry, I hate to break it to. Dogs exhibit many human traits, and we, wanting so badly to see them as kin, acknowledge it. But the fact is, they are, in the end, an animal.

An animal with severe compassion for our stupid selves.

Hey, dudes, trust me, I'm addicted to my corgis. I see them as people, but my point is-we probably shouldn't. The more we see the dog under the fur, the better we can understand who they are and what they do.

Glorifing them is fun-a great movie can be born of it.

But has there ever been a movie made about the life of a dog that is, truly, about the life of a dog?

I have found one.

My Dog Tulip is nothing more than a facinating creation of an audiobook of the literature by the same name. In it, J. Ackerly, here played wonderfully by Christopher Plummer, talks about his life with his own German Shepard, from her adoption to her passing. He interjects himself as the protagonist and the experiences and ancedotes about their time together.

The film is brilliantly animated, and, from that, the coarse realities of dog rearing and husbandary are a bit more digestable. See, unlike Max, mentioned prior, this is an English point of view. The delicious language details, ad naseum at points, their life together-but that's the point. This man is living through his dog, in his twilight years. And as age slows him, his interests in enhancing her life becomes paramount.

A symbolism that would be wasted on a live action film.

Plus, Americans? We'd be sad there's not cute meeting, no cute romance, no wicked humor. Surely, there is dry humor, but it comes from Plummer's enhanced reading more than the situation. The tale is massively character based and that's also part of it's charm.

A charm that I acknowledged on social media with the comment...."it's a writer thing." The words in his movie are short of Shakespearean in approach and dictation, a love for words that shines through.

Because there's some no so pretty things that this man talks about. Tulip's getting sick; her dating habits and how to get her to breed. Not funny.

There's something genuine here and I appreciated it

I am sure, however, that not many will. You could almost choose to download it to a mp3 player and get the same wonderful experience.

See what you think. Just understand, it's not for everyone. Especially if you found the trailer for "Max" exhilirating.

Peace,
Roo