The Art of Racing in the Rain

Nice little film that was great to watch on a plane. I could have a bit of a cry and no one would notice. That said, this story was a completely predictable "by the numbers" sentimental, smaltzy tear jerker where the dog was by far the best actor.

I could not finish the book because of the bit in the story where Denny gets angry at Enzo, it made no sense. I hated the movie even more for showing me Amanda Seyfried without eyebrows. And the dog was Costner? I couldn't tell.

I liked it, but the dog movies Hollywood is churning out these days are all mostly the same. This one spent a whole lot of time in the "sad" state, so keep that in mind if you bring the kids. Also, anyone who follow racing knows Denny's career arc as a race car driver is--unlikely--but that's okay. It's not a movie killer.

Ventimiglia is surprisingly decent and the dog character very well built. Other than that, quite ordinary.

I get the feeling that fans of the book - a co-worker of mine is a MASSIVE fan - may find this movie lacking in how quickly it moves from plot point to plot point. I understand that as an artistic choice, never lingering in one spot too long, rather just letting the moments pass naturally, but you're still telling a story at the end of the day. Amanda Seyfried is really good; it's probably the best performance of hers I've ever seen. I'm not in love with it, though there's content of value here.