Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.
Of all the plaudits Sam Neill has received in his career, “Good doggy” doesn’t figure highly. Toa Fraser’s quietly endearing shaggy-pup fable rectifies that, albeit veeery slooowly.
Neill gives good, garrulous mutt as an Edwardian Dean who, under the influence of a rare tipple, regresses to a previous canine existence.
Framing this is the tale of a cantankerous old bugger (Peter O’Toole) who has buried painful feelings of grief bonedeep. A redemptive arc leashes
the threads together, hinged on insights into familial repression that are a tad too costumedrama-stifled for their own good.
But Neill’s deadpan dog-ologues prove ticklesome, on the way to an unexpectedly touching conclusion.
Kevin Harley
