“Come on.”

From The Art of Racing in the Rain.

As a puppy, Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) was adopted by race car driver Denny (Milo Ventimiglia) whose infectious love of the sport easily transferred to the young dog.  For a while, it’s just Denny and Enzo spending time at the racetrack where Denny works (for boss Gary Cole), studying old racing footage, and hanging out with Denny’s best friends (Andres Joseph and Ian Lake), but when Denny meets Eve (Amanda Seyfried) Enzo knows that his life will be different.  Where Denny had previously spent all of his attention on racing and Enzo, once he marries Eve his attention is focused on building a successful marriage, getting along with her wealthy and disapproving parents (Kathy Baker and Martin Donovan), and eventually caring for their daughter, Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong).  While life is different, Enzo is happy to help Denny however he can, whether that’s being there for Eve, protecting Zoe, or helping Denny watch his racing footage; however, when Eve falls unexpectedly ill, Enzo watches the family’s entire life fall apart at the seams.  Enzo’s frustration at his dog-ly inability to speak or help Denny more is only enhanced as he watches Denny take a step back from racing, increase his parental responsibilities, face an ugly custody battle, and struggle with what he should do for Zoe.  The one constant that pushes Enzo to not give up is knowing that Denny is the world’s best racer, and he just needs a little help on the most important race of their lives to win.

This animal-led drama is inspired by Garth Stein’s book of the same name differs from the recent A Dog’s Purpose films, as this film has somber moments played out in the human lives instead of the animal lives.  Costner’s sweet and endearing narration is perfectly matched with Ventimiglia bringing both strength and vulnerability to his role as the (human) lead.  The Art of Racing in the Rain is a sweet, funny movie that reminds viewers that with the love of a dedicated animal, even life’s saddest times are a little bit better.

| Rated: PG | Running Time: 109 minutes |Genre: drama/comedy/animal |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 0 of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 0 of 10|Gore: 0 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|