DVD Review: Who Gets the Dog? (yellow lab, romantic comedy, Chicago winter)

Who Gets the Dog? (Epic Pictures, September 2016, 95 minutes, Rated PG)

Romantic Canine Comedy - Just out this past month, in theaters and online!

“Chicago, where is Steve Dale* when we need him?”

Professional hockey player and physician (Alicia Silverstone) share an adorable yellow Labrador, so, what happens when the humans want a divorce? Who gets the dog? They both want Wesley. And so do I! (I just can’t stop watching the trailer, even after seeing the movie.)

And the Star is. . . .

Wesley just may be the cutest dog in movies and what a great actor (better than the humans). Second in this movie is a 9 year old boy.

Predictable Family Fun

Just about everything in this movie is predictable but that doesn’t exclude the whole family from thoroughly enjoying Wesley. Pre-teen girls will drool over husband Clay (Ryan Kwanten), teenage boys will focus on Olive (Silverstone), and parents will dote on Wesley, thinking they are lucky to not have a dog like that! All will giggle at Wesley’s antics, the best since Marley’s (of Marley and Me fame). And like Marley and Me, dog trainers will cringe but laugh inside at the cutest Wesley dog in the world.

And the Plot Goes On

A sleeper is the black female judge who orders a consult with a veterinary behaviorist and a 60-day sharing of Wesley.

The diagnosis is “psychological disarray,” according to the veterinary behaviorist (enter Steve Dale, please). Of course, it is wonderful to introduce the world to veterinary behaviorists (there are just a smidgeon over 50 in the whole of the US) but this woman is more like Marian the Librarian in looks and she refers Wesley for obedience training. Of course, the trainer quickly ‘has a thing’ for the young doctor. And that sets the stage.

Final Words

Oh, I forgot it’s winter in Chicago and when our couple splits up, the hockey player moves out and into a trailer on a lake. Lovely!

On Netflix now and available through Amazon.

*Steve Dale is Chicago's premier dog guy, a certified animal behavior consultant (cats are his number one), author, radio show guy and more. Read about Steve here and read his blog at www.SteveDalePetWorld.com and, besides that, he's just a plain nice guy!