Dog: A Man/Dog Buddy Road-Trip Movie!

Recommended by my close friend Ted, I liked this movie much more than I had anticipated.  It's a MUST-SEE for dog lovers, but I think almost everyone will enjoy it.  Briggs (Channing Tatum) was an Army Ranger (the Army's premier direct-action raid force) who developed PTSD from his numerous dangerous missions.  He is having serious difficulty with civilian life, so he desperately wants to re-join.  Being a very proud man, Briggs is ashamed of his psychiatric problems, so he refuses to seek out any mental health treatment.  Furthermore, he also has TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and needs a medical release in order to be able to re-enlist with the Rangers. One high-ranking officer who had previously served with Briggs offers him a deal.  Briggs needs to drive a former Ranger attack-dog (Lulu, a Belgian Malinois) from Oregon to the funeral of a former Ranger in Arizona.  If Briggs does this favor, then the officer will sign the medical release.  Lulu, however, also has severe PTSD.  She was an Army heroine, but Lulu attacks everybody now.  She has put three people in the emergency room and is scheduled to be "put to sleep" after the funeral because she is refractory to treatment.  Lulu has to constantly wear a muzzle and is sedated on Prozac. The movie is about Lulu's and Brigg's odyssey from Oregon to Arizona and how they bond and help each other heal along the way.  It's primarily a drama, but there are also some very funny scenes.  Three dogs played Lulu, and they were all terrific.  Tatum continues to give very strong performances, this time with his comedic talent and vulnerability (in fact, he also co-directed this film).  It's a warm-hearted feel-good movie which will lift your mood in these difficult times.