Advertise here.
 |
Title: Hachi: A Dog’s Tale
|
/ 
/ 
/ 
| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is nothing objectional in this film. The subject of death will be brought up though. Recommended for all ages. |
Mark Twain once said “The dog is a gentleman. I want to go to his heaven, not man’s.” I wonder what Twain would say about the dog Hachiko (Hachi for short). Haichi is a young dog who was found abandoned at the train by kind old man named Parker (Richard Gere), a professor. Not having the heart to turn him into the pound, Parker brings the dog home to his wife Cate (Joan Allen), who of course forbids him to have the dog. This is the initial setup for “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale” (I’m sort of surprised Sony didn’t attempt to pun the film with the alternate spelling: ‘tail’). Though this is a movie we’ve seen before the film does have a twist: The kind old man dies suddenly at work one day. Problem is, Hachi always met Parker at the train station at the same time every day, and no one can communicate with him that his master is dead.
 |
The master never comes home, but still Hachi waits. It’s sort of touching to watch an animal so loyal to his master, yet it’s also sort of sad. It’s a nice thought knowing that if I die my pet dog might have waited every day at the train station for me to get home. It’s sort of sad because the life of a perfectly good animal is going to waste. But blah, blah, blah, is this all the movie is? A dog waiting at a train station? Well, THAT sounds pretty boring doesn’t it?! Truth be told though, this is only the last quarter of the movie. The first hour is us getting to know Parker and the dog. We can see why Hachi would be so loyal to his master: His master is kind and fun (though he can’t seem to teach the dog to play fetch).
 |
Though Parker loves his dog, when the daughter says she and her husband are pregnant or the wife wants a little private time herself...well, the man goes to take care of his family. After all, they come first. It’s a small touch, but for some reason it stands out. Not sure why. Maybe it’s just nice to see a pet lover who knows where the line must be drawn. The story is based off the true life story of Hachiko, a dog whose own master died in Japan in the thirties and waited for him to come home every day. There’s a statue of him in Shibuya that I had the pleasure to see in person. It’s a touching story you have to admit. Sadly, many people in the US didn’t have a chance to see this wonderful film.
 |
Despite great reviews and a worldwide box office intake of over $46 million (more than enough to recoup the $16 million the film cost to make), Sony Pictures decided they would not release this film in theaters. Instead it went straight to video, barely advertised and almost forgotten shortly after it was made. Considering the popular of it’s cast and Oscar-nominated director Lasse Hallstrom (“Chocolate,” “The Cider House Rules”), it’s sort of baffling why this was the case. Would it have made over $100 million? I doubt it, but the movie seems like it would have the great word-of-mouth that makes small films like these sleeper hits. Thankfully the DVD is available at Netflix and (the remaining) Blockbusters. So if you’d like a nice, mature family film, this should come as an easy recommendation.
  |
 |
|
|
Spaceriffic Review
Want to see us review this? Send a donation with your title request, and it will be done (might take awhile, but it will get done).
Click here for a list of films that have already been requested before you request something.
