The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of those films that rips your heart out of your chest, dangles it in front of your face, and ultimately gives it back to you. It is a very faithful adaptation of the original novel, with some changes that I personally thought were for the better. Milo Ventimiglia and Kevin Costner bring their A games to this film. You can feel a very strong connection between their characters Denny and Enzo the dog respectively. Though this film isn't the most groundbreaking out there, it is a very well-made, heartfelt retelling of an incredibly heartwarming story.

My thoughts:

The Art of Racing in the Rain is beautifully and sensitively directed by Simon Curtis, who deftly orchestrates the poignant moments with humor.

Milo Ventimiglia's "This is Us" fans will recognize and love his Denny Swift; he was perfectly cast in this role.

I especially love how the movie showed the evolution of Eve & Enzo's relationship.

Kevin Costner is not the first person I'd think of to be the inner voice of a dog, but he does a great job.

This movie is a gift to anyone who's ever owned or loved a dog.

I didn't know anything about the movie before watching it. As soon as I saw it was about the life of a dog 'Enzo', beautifully narrated by Kevin Costner by the way, I looked at my wife and told her I will probably cry with this movie. When it's about animals I have difficulties not to cry when something 'happens' to the animal, and that even though I know it's just a movie. And oh boy did I cry with this movie, and so did my wife. At one point we were both balling without ending. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry again, and that's a day later. It's the kind of movie that reminds you previous dogs you owned, or the dogs you have at this moment. I watched it with Lou, my lovely poodle that I rescued, sitting in my lap, and Jef, my Andalucian waterdog, cuddling next to me. You can't help it to compare things from the movie with your actual life and pets. The story itself is not flawless, but it doesn't matter as it is too beautiful to stand still at those little imperfections. The relationship and endless love between Milo Ventimiglia and his dog Enzo is something a lot of dog owners will recognize. I love my dogs so much it hurts just thinking one day I will have to let them go, but knowing they had a good life eases the pain. The Art Of Racing In The Rain is a movie for animal lovers, a movie where you will need a box of tissues. I loved it, but I wonder if I could watch it again.

I read this book several years ago, and I remember crying like a baby in the Charlotte airport on a layover as I read the last two chapters. Tears of sorrow combined with tears of joy streamed down my face, and this little old lady came over to me and said, "Honey, are you ok?" I smiled and just said, "This book is so good!"

Flash forward to the movie, and I literally almost started crying at the very first scene. I hold the book in high regard, and the opening shot of Enzo just brought back so many good memories of the book. As I watched the movie, I felt the producers/director stayed very true to the message of the source material. Do I know scene-by-scene if they stayed true? No, I do not. However, the overall beginning to end conveys the major events that happen, and without a doubt, it was such an incredible struggle not to burst into tears during the final moments of the movie. I was not alone in this as I heard many sniffles in the audience. It was almost sold out on a Tuesday matinee!

The overall message is perseverance, love, loyalty, and being true to yourself. The story of Enzo is a heartwarming story, and I can't recommend this book and movie enough.

I knew I would love this movie, I've been a dog lover my whole life but this story wasn't just about a dog named Enzo but rather about life and all the ups and downs we experience, the highs and lows, losing loved ones, hard relationships...and through it all dogs are always there for us to provide comfort, a friendly bark, to lend a paw, to make us smile even on our toughest days. I'll never know whether they pick us or we pick them it's just one of those things that's meant to be and you find each other along the way. They don't live as many years as we do, but they live a full life while they are here and each one has a story. Thank you for telling Enzo's story.