A movie narrated by a dog that left viewers ‘in tears’ is now one of the most-watched movies on Netflix.
In 2019 the American comedy drama The Art of Racing in the Rain hit screens.
Based on the 2008 novel of the same name by author Garth Stein which spent 156 weeks as a New York Times bestseller, the adaptation was directed by Simon Curtis (Downton Abbey: A New Era and The Grand Finale) and starred Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried and Kevin Costner.
However instead of appearing on screen, the latter provided the voice of the main character Enzo – a golden retriever.
As the synopsis for the film teases: ‘Denny Swift is a Formula One race car driver who understands that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate everyday life.
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‘Besides his career, Denny has three loves of his life – his beautiful wife, their young daughter and his best friend, which is a dog that wants to be reincarnated into a human.’
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Although the film received mix reviews from critics and viewers, those it impressed were left incredibly moved.
‘A purebred original and a human and humane motion picture that is glorious. A must for both dog and movie lovers. Kevin Costner as the voice of Enzo gives one of his best performances – and he’s not even on screen,’ Deadline Hollywood Daily wrote in its review.
‘It really shouldn’t work. Yet somehow it steers a course between corniness and barminess. By the end I was crying like a baby, along with many of the other people in my screening, as well as giggling at the preposterousness of it all,’ The Sunday Times shared.
‘The Art of Racing in the Rain is just the right kind of tearjerker with an injection of positivity that our understandably pessimistic society needs,’ Paste Magazine added.
Meanwhile fan Emon posted on Rotten Tomatoes: ‘Perfect. There is no other way to describe it. As a racing enthusiast and dog lover this was the perfect film.’
While Eric called it a ‘heartfelt tearjerker’, Abraham also warned people to have ‘tissues at hand’.
This weekend the movie was also released on Netflix in the UK, where it’s quickly shot up the charts and is now the sixth most-watched movie.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly at the time of the film’s release, Ventimiglia spoke about wanting to be part of the project.
‘I’m not one to be afraid of a role, and actually when roles are a bit frightening, that’s where you can find the most truth in the character and the story because we’re pushing ourselves. We’re pushing our boundaries,’ he said.
‘It was a very human story, kind of like This Is Us, where you have real-life stakes that were happening to this guy — his career as a race-car driver, his life with his family. It’s so deeply human, and the angle where you have a dog who happens to be an elevated soul and is watching his owner go through the trials of life, it felt like a unique story.
‘It had magic without it feeling like it was trying to push the magic.’
He also admitted that when watching the movie for the first time: ‘I was crying just like everybody sitting next to me.’
The Art of Racing in the Rain is streaming on Netflix.
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