The Art of Racing in the Rain

I have never reviewed a movie before but having seen this film on its opening day, not the kind of movie I'm normally attracted to (I booked it really for my wife as it was our wedding anniversary yesterday) I was so surprised how much I really enjoyed it! It has something for everyone to connect with. Beautifully put together and performed. But be warned, this is one moving movie. Even the toughest of guys will need the Kleenex nearby. My face was wet! Just as you have managed to hold back one tear-jerker response, along comes another. A real emotional roller-coaster which leaves you in awe at the end. Best real movie I've seen in a long time. Kevin was amazing. So was Amanda and Milo. Real characters with real feeling. You should all be so proud of this. My friend read the book and said it had the same affect. Clearly you have done the book due justice. Just Fabulous!

Tears. This is personal. I have a 2 year old naughty, loving, beautiful and mischievous golden retriever boy. A stranger at a local dog park struck up a conversation and asked me where I got my golden. Then proceeded to tell me that I've got to go watch The Art of Racing In the Rain. So I kept the idea tucked away in my to do list. Finally cpl weeks later I purchased it on my Prime account. Movie is very heartwarming. A little sad. Unfair. Hopeful. Profound. Thoughtful. Touches on life's moments that seem to grab us. Moving along life's gifts come and go stealing our hearts. Dogs are God's gifts to us, especially those of us who are alone in age, loss of our human best-friend, single, looking to complete a family, widowed or need love to give and receive. Watch it and relax. It brought tears to my eyes knowing one day my 2 year old golden will be gone. So I embrace all of his naughtiness and love him for his big sweet heart of gold.

I knew I would love this movie, I've been a dog lover my whole life but this story wasn't just about a dog named Enzo but rather about life and all the ups and downs we experience, the highs and lows, losing loved ones, hard relationships...and through it all dogs are always there for us to provide comfort, a friendly bark, to lend a paw, to make us smile even on our toughest days. I'll never know whether they pick us or we pick them it's just one of those things that's meant to be and you find each other along the way. They don't live as many years as we do, but they live a full life while they are here and each one has a story. Thank you for telling Enzo's story.

... every now and then, whether we will admit it or not, we all need to watch such a film. If all you watch are Christopher Nolan and Ingmar Bergman films, you will eventually find yourself staring glassy eyed into space, drinking heavily, and wondering, in the words of the 70s band Chicago - "Does anybody really know what time it is?".

It's the story of Denny, an average Joe with a rather unique occupation - teacher of race car driving and an aspiring race car driver himself. What makes the story even more unique is the viewpoint - a story told in flash back by Denny's dog Enzo as is he is dying of old age in Denny's arms, starting from the time Denny adopted him as a puppy, to Denny's marriage to Eve, to the birth of their daughter, and everything that came in between and after.

Kevin Costner does a good job of narrating for Enzo. The pup makes the movie, and the actors don't try to get in the way. It is all about loyalty, determination, grieving, fear of abandonment, and friendship. But I do disagree with some reviewers here. I don't think I'd let a kid under ten see this. It gets pretty heavy at points. And a stuffed zebra has a scene that is as surreal as the Twilight Zone episode I saw as a kid with a bunch of mannequins calling out "Marsha!" to a terrorized woman locked in a department store at night. I saw that over 50 years ago and it still scares me. But I digress.

I'd recommend this when you just want a watch a film with admirable characters acting admirably in response to the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. But there is one hissable villain just to give the film a little balance. I'd recommend it.

I read this book several years ago, and I remember crying like a baby in the Charlotte airport on a layover as I read the last two chapters. Tears of sorrow combined with tears of joy streamed down my face, and this little old lady came over to me and said, "Honey, are you ok?" I smiled and just said, "This book is so good!"

Flash forward to the movie, and I literally almost started crying at the very first scene. I hold the book in high regard, and the opening shot of Enzo just brought back so many good memories of the book. As I watched the movie, I felt the producers/director stayed very true to the message of the source material. Do I know scene-by-scene if they stayed true? No, I do not. However, the overall beginning to end conveys the major events that happen, and without a doubt, it was such an incredible struggle not to burst into tears during the final moments of the movie. I was not alone in this as I heard many sniffles in the audience. It was almost sold out on a Tuesday matinee!

The overall message is perseverance, love, loyalty, and being true to yourself. The story of Enzo is a heartwarming story, and I can't recommend this book and movie enough.