Max Bad Enough To Make You Mad

The second dog-centric movie of 2015 – after the fantastic White God – comes to us in the form of Max, a movie in which a dog gets PTSD, is adopted by a family, and then helps solve all of their issues. If you come from a somewhat dysfunctional family with an annoying teenager, a hardened military father, and a nonentity of a mother, just get a dog and all of your problems will be solved! I’m pretty sure that’s what Max‘s message is, anyway. It’s not like a movie about a dog that served in the American military would have any other purpose, right? So, yes, “Max” refers to a dog who served in the military, had his handler (Robbie Amell) killed in an ambush, returned to America with dog-PTSD, and is adopted by his handler’s family. The teenager is Justin (Josh Wiggins), the father is Ray (Thomas Haden Church), and the mother is Pamela (Lauren Graham). Full disclosure: I had to look up the names of these people on the internet. They resonated with me so little that remembering that their characters were given names was too strenuous a task for my brain. They’re stereotypes who exist to be fixed by the dog – and even then, that’s only somewhat successful. Max wants us to care about this family and the dog, and it tries its hardest to make that happen. Think of a manipulative scene the film could throw your way, and it’s probably in there. Add in the military aspect – which means if you dislike it, you automatically “hate the military”; just ask anyone who hated American Sniper – and you’re basically forced into liking Max. But it’s not engaging. It’s not interesting. It doesn’t have a single exciting, emotionally resonant, or poignant moment. It’s flat, it’s clichéd, and its dog is a better actor than the humans. Recommendation: It’s hard to think of anyone who would enjoy Max, unless seeing a well-trained dog in a movie allows you to ignore all of its problems. [rating=1]