True-story tale of an iconic mutt is a charmingly aussie, but slight affair.
So, the polls are in, and it seems I’m a horrible person – apparently my soul turns pure black when things, people or animals are pretty. Because while Red Dog is a sweet film, the true story of a mutt’s undying loyalty to and love for his master that caused everyone around me to unabashedly weep in a way that only a heart-wrenching dog story can, I didn’t join them. Because frankly, the bloody dog just isn’t cute.
But never say that to an Australian. The stuff of Aussie legend, Red Dog was a cheeky canine known for roaming Australia in the 1970s, finally settling in the mining town of Dampier. Though he forges a bond with the local bus driver (Josh Lucas) and chooses him for a Master, Red Dog remains a generous, loving member of the community who enriches everyone’s life.
As the film begins, Red Dog is critically ill, as the locals begin to share stories with newcomer Luke Ford. But the tone rarely feels heavy-handed, and as Red Dog’s cheeky antics give a suicidal widow a new joie de vivre and plays matchmaker to a lonely Italian, the film traverses emotional states deftly and light-footedly. Only occasionally descending into predictable melancholia, the film is interjected with plenty of gruff, old-fashioned Australian humour and features charming performances such as John Batchelor’s loveable, bucolic miner.
But while some sequences are delightful – in particular Batchelor’s heart-wrenching account of Red Dog’s ill-fated search for Lucas following an accident – other subplots, such as Red Dog’s cartoonish rivalry with a local terror of a cat, feel cheap, forgettable, and far from truly heart-breaking territory.