Written by Nick Santora and directed by Stephen Herek, “Dog Gone” is based on a true story. That it stars personal faves Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley reeled me in. Or leashed me in, I suppose.
Fielding Marshall (Johnny Berchtold) is a student at the University of Virginia. He adopts a puppy – which he names Gonker – as a ruse for impressing girls, but quickly, the two become attached. “A B- in Native American studies does not qualify you to care for an animal” his best friend Nate (Nick Peine) advises.
Fielding’s parents John and Ginny (Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams-Paisley) accept the dog but warn of the responsibilities it comes with. When Gonker goes missing on a hike through the Appalachian Trail, Fielding and his parents launch a statewide search for the missing pooch.
I haven’t been this captivated with a movie in some time. I love dogs, but what’s great is that the meat of this story isn’t about Gonker. Rather, there’s an in depth presentation of the relationship between Fielding and his father. The son has seemingly no direction in his post-collegiate days. The father is a conservative-minded man who wants the best for his family, but has sacrificed the personal connections with his son in the process. The relationship between Fielding and John grows in intensity as they search moves on.
We also get flashbacks of Ginny as a child, explaining her personal connection to the dog. The acting is sound from the three leads, with excellent direction and writing for the characters they are portraying. The closing credits display photographs of the actors and cast posing with their real life dogs. Everyone involved with the production has an emotional connection to the story that’s genuine, and it shows.
Stephen Herek made the right choice in focusing on the Marshall family, rather than Gonker, after the latter goes missing. We get all the emotion we need from Fielding, John, and Ginny. The story isn’t one about a missing dog finding his way home, it’s about the tight bond of a family, and eventually a community that will go out of their way to find him.
The story itself is unreal in that it’s actually real. People from across the state of Virginia offer their services in finding the dog. Newspapers run stories, strangers put up signs, and even a biker gang is more than willing to get involved. To further elevate the stress, there’s a ticking clock – Gonker suffers from Addison’s disease – and as such needs a monthly shot to stay alive.
“Dog Gone” is a touching tail (once again, pun intended) that will dare you not to enjoy it. Is it perfect? No. But you’ll be entertained in a way that ‘Best Picture’ nominees simply can’t compete with.
“Dog Gone” is exclusive to stream on Netflix
