Fridays used to be the afternoon that I would try to find things to do with JustaBXgirl afterschool. Monday – Wednesday it would be a race to get home from school, get homework done, eat dinner, and make her 7:30p bedtime. Thursdays were weird days. She would get out of school at 12:30p on Thursdays so that meant extra free time BUT it was MMA day so we were only free until 5 before it was time to rush to class knowing bedtime would be when class was just getting fun. Fridays though meant freedom. Freedom to leave school and have an adventure. Outside adventures are still on hold.
I know that other places in the country are loosening up on COVID fears but this mama lives in NYC where social distancing is virtually impossible so we will only be having adventures at home. That means we need some Friday fun. I’ve been making it our movie night.
Last Friday’s pick was the soon to be released Think Like a Dog starring Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, and Kunal Nayyar. I found this movie to be just what I needed. It reminded me of the type of family movies that existed when I was a kid. It was simple, fun, and full of kid-sized adventure. It also had some really good messages.
Message #1 – Keep It Simple
Henry the dog is wise beyond his years and drops lots of knowledge throughout the film, even if he has no clue how to talk to a female dog! He reminds us that many times we complicate our lives when we can just keep it simple. Remember the old saying, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)? Don’t tell JustaBXgirl I wrote the word stupid but it’s true, we need to keep it simple. So many problems would vanish if we didn’t complicate matters.
Lesson #2 – Most Important Things In Life
This is another lesson brought to us by Henry. He shares with Oliver that the two most important things in life are LOVE and FAMILY. I agree with him. Love is the only thing that can stop hate in this world and if we shared and valued it more the world would be in a better place. As for family, I think you already know how much I value family.
Lesson #3 – Loyalty
Without giving away too much of the movie, I love that loyalty is an underlying message included in the film. You see it playing out in Oliver’s friendships with both humans and Henry. You see it in the relationship between dogs.
Lesson #4 – Science Is Awesome
The whole premise of the movie is that Oliver is a little tech genius and finds a way to communicate with his dog, Henry. I’m not giving anything away here, I promise. In fact, it tells you as much in the film’s summary that I have included below. Oliver is about gadgets and experimenting. I like that him being the star gives our littles the lesson that being smart is awesome and can look differently. Sometimes, it means perfect grades, and other times it means figuring out the answer to problems people didn’t even know they had.
Josh Duhamel and Megan Fox star in this whimsical family comedy about a boy and his dog, and a science project that will change all of their lives forever. Think Like a Dog follows 12-year-old Oliver, a tech prodigy whose middle-school science fair experiment goes awry, creating a telepathic connection between him and his furry friend, Henry. The bond brings Oliver and Henry even closer as they join forces to comically overcome complications at school, and help Oliver’s parents rekindle their marriage along the way.
The Think Like a Dog special features include an audio commentary with writer-director Gil Junger and a making-of featurette, allowing an inside look at what it took to make this family-friendly flick. The Think Like a Dog Blu-ray and DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.99 and $19.98, respectively.
BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES
· Audio Commentary with Writer-Director Gil Junger
· “Anything is Paw-sible: Making Think Like a Dog” Featurette
