A Dog's Purpose is a 2017 American adventure comedy drama film directed by Lasse Hallström and written by W. Bruce Cameron, Cathryn Michon, Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes, and Wally Wolodarsky, based on the 2010 novel of the same name by W. Bruce Cameron.

[5][6] It was released by Universal Pictures on January 27, 2017, and grossed $205 million worldwide, and received mixed reviews from critics.

Left locked inside their pick-up truck, he begins to die of heatstroke, but is rescued by a kindhearted mother and her eight-year-old son, Ethan Montgomery.

Later in 1971 at a football game watched by scouts, Ethan is offered a full scholarship to Michigan State University.

Bailey is reborn as a female German Shepherd puppy, growing into a police dog named Ellie, in the late 1970s/early 1980s, while fully retaining memories of her past lives.

[11] On October 15, 2015, Bradley Cooper joined the cast to play Bailey's inner voice,[12] but the role was eventually performed by Josh Gad.

[4] In North America, it was released alongside Resident Evil: The Final Chapter and Gold, and was projected to gross $18–22 million from 3,050 theaters in its opening weekend, slightly lower than initial $27 million tracking had the film debuting to before boycotts against the film were called for.

It ended up debuting to $18.2 million, finishing second at the box office behind the second weekend of Universal's own Split.

The site's critics consensus reads, "A Dog's Purpose offers an awkward blend of sugary sentiment and canine suffering that tugs at animal-loving audiences' heartstrings with shameless abandon.

[23] Andrew Barker of Variety wrote: "Viewed in a vacuum, it’s hard to fault the movie’s earnestness; Hallström’s canine cinema pedigree (which includes the superior Hachi: A Dog's Tale) shows through; and Rachel Portman's score is understandably sentimental without going completely saccharine.

"[24] Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "While the human performers are more than adequate, there’s no doubt that the canine stars carry the day.

Their utter irresistibility helps a long way in terms of getting past the corny plot machinations of A Dog’s Purpose.

[32] Actor Josh Gad, who voices the dog in the movie and was not on set during the making of the film, said he was "shaken and sad to see any animal put in a situation against its will.

[34] Due to the release of the video, Universal Pictures cancelled the film's scheduled January 19 Los Angeles premiere.

"[36] On February 4, 2017, the American Humane Association reported that an independent third-party animal-cruelty expert had concluded that safety measures on the set of the film were in place and the video had been deliberately edited to mislead the public.

[7] In addition to Quaid and Gad reprising their roles, the cast also includes Marg Helgenberger (replacing Peggy Lipton, who had become seriously ill), Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott, and Henry Lau.