Another movie, which I thought would be a welcome change from forensic files and reruns of some Korean or Taiwanese daily soaps was "Patrick".
We meet Sarah Francis as she’s being dumped by the guy she just moved in with. A member of a very patronizing, unemotionally supportive family, at least to her, Sarah is viewed by them as a slacker without direction, some of which may be true. After all, her sister is married with kiddies and is a practicing attorney. Sarah, on the other hand, wants to be a teacher and will begin her new job soon, if she can figure out how to get there on time.
Further complicating the picture is the recent death of her
granny who has willed her her beloved pooch, Patrick. Not only does Sarah not
care for dogs, but her lease forbids them; and she’s about to start a new job.
Why granny thought Sarah should be the one to care for a dog, well, Sarah can’t
fathom the answer, an answer that it is instantly clear to the audience. It
will force Sarah out of herself, get her outdoors, have her make new
acquaintances and learn to problem solve. And there you have the film in a
nutshell.
Laden with pleasant, stereotypic characters,
there isn’t a twist or turn that you don’t see coming long before Sarah. She
meets a couple of promising young men in the park while walking the dog; she
manages the difficult English class to which she’s assigned, even getting them
to pay attention to Jane Eyre, and finds herself along the way. There you have
it and all because of a little dog.Beattie Edmondson, Sarah, is cute, pert, awkward (in a forced sort of way – watch her run), and winning. Her love interests, Ed Skrein, the self-absorbed vet, and Tom Bennett, the regular fella with complications, do the best they can with what they’ve been afforded.
There were two scenes that made me feel good inside. A scene where the pug forgets the cat (who made him lose first) and runs after sarah's trace and the scene where Sarah drops in exertion and he nudges his legs, later licking her face.
A predictable story and predictable end but made my self a promise that day. I will surely have my own pug one day maybe a cat and pug. I don't know. Dog for sure.
