Dog is a 2022 American dramedy Road Trip film directed by Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin, with both making their feature directorial debut.
Tatum stars as Jackson Briggs, a US Army Ranger who must bring Lulu, the Belgian Malinois military dog of his fallen commander, from the State of Washington to the latter's funeral in Nogales, Arizona. Along the way, Briggs tries to come to terms with his PTSD and difficulties with making emotional connections.
The cast also includes Jane Adams, Kevin Nash, Q'orianka Kilcher, Ethan Suplee, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Nicole LaLiberte, Ronnie Gene Blevins and Bill Burr.
Not related to the Dog series.
Dog provides examples of:
- Beware of Vicious Dog: Lulu is said to be hostile to anyone who's not her deceased handler initially, but she warms up to Jackson over time.
- Canine Companion: Lulu was the dog of Jackson's now-deceased commander. Now she's Jackson's companion on the trip.
- Death By Newberry Medal: Subverted. Even advertisements knew of this trope and told audiences in advance that the dog lives.
- Driven to Suicide: The film doesn't shy away from the reality that veterans are very at risk for suicide, as Lulu's handler is implied to have killed himself, or killed by a destructive lifestyle. The homeless guy also shows that many veterans with mental illness can't cut it without support of any kind.
- Obfuscating Disability: Jackson pretends to be blind at one point so he'll be allowed to take Lulu with him in a hotel.
- One-Word Title: "Dog".
- Road Trip Plot: The plot concerns a US Army Ranger who travels with a dog from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in the State of Washington to Nogales, Arizona.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Both Jackson and Lulu each have their own traumas.
- War Is Hell: Both Jackson and Lulu’s involvement in war has left them with psychological scars that means the former has a shattered and almost nonexistent home life and the latter likely to be put down, but they are able to heal through finding friendship and companionship in each other and walk away from military life at the end.
