Review
Dog Gone (Family, Drama, Biography) [True Story] [Based on Book] (2023)
Director: Stephen Herek
Writer: Nick Santora, Pauls Toutonghi (Based on Book by)
Stars: Johnny Berchtold, Rob Lowe, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Nick Peine
Adopting a puppy while in college, to his parents' trepidation, a stronger bond between father and son develops as they lose their dog and hike down the Appalachian trail to search for him.
Based upon a true story, later composed into a book by Paul Toutonghi named "Dog Gone: A Lost Pet's Extraordinary Journey and the Family Who Brought Him Home". Stephen Herek develops this tale with Rob Lowe as executive producer to offer this resolute trek to wider audiences. It was filmed around Atlanta, Georgia and produced by Blackjack Films and Story Ink while being distributed by Netflix.
Struggling with college life, carrying himself through studies, work and a laborious break-up; Fielding Marshall (Johnny Berchtold) envisions himself as less-succesful than his peers. To reintroduce some positivity, he adopts a labrador puppy, a decision questioned by his best friend Nate (Nick Peine). As graduation is approaching, Fielding's family visits campus, asserting the same apprehension as Nate upon meeting their imminent new family member, Gonker. Without any chosen career path, Fielding moves back home, allowing even other family members to grow affectionate towards their pet. Shortly after, it seems Gonker isn't his usual self, and the veterinarian diagnoses Addison's disease, requiring a life-saving injection every month. Once some normalcy returns and Fielding's friend comes over for a visit, they go for a walk on the Appalachian Trail when Gonker spots a fox chasing after it, failing to return and nowhere to be found. This event starts a search effort with national attention as Fielding and his father, John (Rob Lowe), form a closer relationship through a strenuous endeavour.
Meant as an inspiring tale, showing the love a family can have for their pet, "Dog Gone" embarks upon a hike that shows persistence in recovering a beloved animal while mending a fractured relationship between father and son.
Acquinting the audience with a young student in Berchtold's Fielding and his rambunctious, beloved monster—the immediate sensation comes across as a TV-movie, a bright visual with sentimental and sensitive drama. Variance in tone becomes more pronounced within light family drama and emotional segments, uplifting the appeal that should be present in such narratives.
While the initial 15 minutes present an origin between the dog and Fielding, it isn't much more than that; also an entry for Peine's Nate, who shows up intermittently during the screenplay. Within family life, these tensions, which might be familiar to some, increase to deliver on rekindling the fractured relationship, mostly in Fielding's eyes presenting a decent endeavour in communication, which isn't seen as often as you'd think. Due to the style and family-drama sauce, it can come across rough. While you'd assume Lowe would carry most of the film, Berchtold does an admirable job. Their relationship and bond while risking their own well-being in locating Gonker is where the attention should've landed. Re-shooting or re-structuring any other segments, such as the introductory scenes at college and the traumatic flashbacks of Ginny Marshall, the mother still holding onto past memories, losing her own dog Oji as a child, which are important yet overshadowed.
For a Netflix production, with the noted deeper elements of family bonds and communicative struggles, "Dog Gone" manages to provide just enough to keep you wondering. However, the family-drama atmosphere and TV acting hampers the end result despite some fair writing and a loveable backstory to it all.
Verdict
From an unruly pup to an amiable monster.
5,5
