Duke

OMG, I was bawling like a baby. Not a typical romance story that Hallmark is known for, but a heartwarming must watch nonetheless.

Missed this one back in 2012. Thank you Hallmark Drama for airing this wonderful movie again! It's not your typical Hallmark movie - no human love story. It's about the struggles of Veterans. It about PTSD. It's about loyalty. It's about facing your fears. It's about forgiveness. But most if all - it's about the relationship between man and dog. I watched it on our DVR - and saved it for my hubby to watch. He loved it too. Great story ... and Steven Weber is amazing in a non-comedic role (which we seldom see him in). Highly recommend watching it whenever it's available on TV.

A stray dog walks into Bethany Pulaski's grade school class. He answers to the name Duke. The dog follows her home and becomes the family pet. Her husband Terry Pulaski (Steven Weber) is a soldier injured in Afghanistan and forced to take medical discharge. His troubles overwhelm him and years later, he's living alone in a trailer with Duke. He finds solace in fixing things and feeding the homeless. Duke gets sick and he is forced to put him down. Dr. Angela manages to save Duke which leads to a family reunion.

The dog is cute. The story is sweet but it's not really a narrative. It's not a story flow with drama. It's a series of situations which leads to an inevitable ending. It has no actual tension but it's a sweet story for family viewing. It's perfectly fine for Hallmark.

This made-for-TV movie, currently being shown on one of the Hallmark channels, is a serious drama - but Be Warned! for there is no romantic love and there is no humor. This movie is not a light-hearted romp through the sunlit plains of human emotions.

It is a story that centers on a disabled veteran and his love for his dog, Duke, and its narrative finds true emotional power by separating and eventually reuniting the man and his dog. It is unflinching in showing the wreckage of the man's life caused by his military service, his PTSD and his injury. Kudos to the filmmakers: the veterinary medicine in the movie is highly realistic, and the eventual reunion of some family members is treated realistically and with restraint. There are various side-stories (a bid to buy the animal clinic, a daughter's marriage, and an attempt to find employment) that do not distract too much from the central drama.

My wife cried like a blubbering baby at one point in the movie and rejoiced at the end of it. That is an important measure of a film's success, and you may react to "Duke" in the same way, especially if you love dogs.

Dog movies have a tendency to make me reach for the tissue box. No, not necessarily when they're sad, but because of the heartwarming feeling dogs generally generate. I'm a HUGE dog lover!

'A Dog named Duke' is inspired by a true story, and tells the story of Terry Pulaski (Steven Weber), a war veteran recovering from an injury. Terry's wife, Bethany (Kendall Cross) is a teacher, and when a dog one day simply walks into her class, she takes him home. Terry immediately takes a liking in Duke. When Terry receives word he can't return to Service because of his injury, he is devastated. The agony and memories of war causes tension between him and Bethany.

The film then jumps ahead ten years, and Terry is separated, homeless and living in a trailer - with Duke still by his side. However, when Duke suddenly gets sick and Terry doesn't have money for the Vet, Terry's life is shattered. He decides to leave Duke on the Vet's doorstep.

The story then revolves around the Vet - and Terry's daughter - trying to find Terry again. What follows is a heartwarming story destined to make you reach for the tissue box! This movie is about so much more than just a dog, and it's beautiful. I loved every character, and I especially enjoyed Steven Weber's emotional performance as Terry.