Hi, it is Bill and Teddy the Chihuahua again!
With a name like Barking Mad About Films, it was only a matter of time before we did this one. We are suckers for a dog film, so this time we share our ratings and reviews of the 43 films we have watched from our Letterboxd list, Dog movies 🐾.
Be warned, though: we hate a film where the dog dies, so a few of these had us reaching for the tissues (and Teddy getting an extra cuddle).
There is also some exciting news for Teddy’s popcorn ratings. She has finally got her half popcorn, so when a film scores 3½, it now gets its half! These are the scores and reviews we have logged on Letterboxd, ranked from our favourites down, so the top dogs come first.
So, sit, stay, and let’s go…
Frankenweenie (2012)
Our Letterboxd score: 
(5/5)
A stop-motion film, a dog film and a Tim Burton film, all in one! We love this nostalgic look at B-movies, as well as the way it portrays the love between an owner and their dog.
🎬 Watch Frankenweenie on Amazon
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Our Letterboxd score: (5/5)
Despite the heartbreaking storyline for us as dog owners, this film is a visual treat and a must-see. You can read our full Isle of Dogs review too.
🎬 Watch Isle of Dogs on Amazon
A Dog’s Purpose (2017)
Our Letterboxd score: (5/5)
As dog owners, we loved the message of this film, but the book was better. You can read our full A Dog’s Purpose review too.
🎬 Watch A Dog’s Purpose on Amazon
Megan Leavey (2017)
Our Letterboxd score: (5/5)
Just the most amazing and inspiring story. It really shows the love and trust between humans and dogs, and we loved this movie. You can read our full Megan Leavey review too.
🎬 Watch Megan Leavey (Rex in the UK) on Amazon
The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019)
Our Letterboxd score: 
(4.5/5)
A solid adaptation with great performances that stays faithful to the book, although the reason for the court case seems weak compared to the book.
🎬 Watch The Art of Racing in the Rain on Amazon
Togo (2019)
Our Letterboxd score: (4.5/5)
A great film about the love dogs have for their humans, no matter what. The way Willem Dafoe’s character writes Togo off at the start is hard to watch, but it’s an emotional rollercoaster of a film.
A Dog’s Way Home (2019)
Our Letterboxd score: (4.5/5)
Nothing hits us like a film about a dog, and this is sad and happy all at the same time. A must for dog lovers, even if it’s a hard watch.
🎬 Watch A Dog’s Way Home on Amazon
Turner & Hooch (1989)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A good dog film, but we prefer K-9, as its ending is better.
🎬 Watch Turner & Hooch on Amazon
The Plague Dogs (1982)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
As dog lovers, this was a difficult watch. It really shows the friendships that form between dogs, but the beginning, the ending and the overall storyline are just heartbreaking.
🎬 Watch The Plague Dogs on Amazon
Cujo (1983)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A classic horror movie, which differs from Stephen King’s book but is still a very effective watch.
Alpha (2018)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
An uplifting man-and-animal film about the bond they build to survive the worst conditions.
Fluke (1995)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A darker version of A Dog’s Purpose. In fact, if it was pitched, they would probably best describe it as The Littlest Hobo meets Swayze’s Ghost! It’s also nice to see an early performance from Ron Perlman.
A Dog’s Journey (2019)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A heartwarming story about the unconditional love dogs give.
🎬 Watch A Dog’s Journey on Amazon
Patrick (2018)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A fun Bridget Jones, with a dog!
Marley & Me (2008)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A great film about the impact a dog can have on a family, and the ending shows the absolute devastation every dog owner faces.
Max (2015)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
We are suckers for dog films, and this is a family drama about a dog with PTSD who finds a new home with the brother of the soldier he served with, who was killed in action. It’s a simple boy-meets-animal-and-learns-stuff story that’s been done to death in the likes of Free Willy and E.T., but it was a great film.
K-911 (1999)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
Just as enjoyable a police dog action comedy as the original.
K-9 (1989)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A great man-and-dog buddy movie, which we still prefer over Turner & Hooch.
Beethoven (1992)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
As dog people, we found this entertaining and relatable, even if the danger storylines, with greedy business types (David Duchovny included) and Dean Jones’s evil vet, are a bit too silly to make sense.
Heart of the Beast (2026)
Our Letterboxd score: (4/5)
A man-against-the-wild film, with a dog. Some of the peril, especially the wolf scenes, is hard to watch, but as a story about the bond between dog and human it was great, and a tear was shed.
🎬 Watch Heart of the Beast on Amazon
Lady and the Tramp (2019)
Our Letterboxd score: 
(3.5/5)
A decent watch, but like a lot of these live-action remakes it adds nothing to the original, other than removing the memorable beaver and getting rid of the racist cats.
Lady and the Tramp (1955)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
Classic animated Disney. The story is a bit hard for a dog lover, as that aunt who throws the dog out because it barks (and because she believes it broke things) is a bit ropey. The Siamese cats are borderline racist and the Italian restaurant owners are a bit of a stereotype, but the dogs are there for each other and that is nice to see.
🎬 Watch Lady and the Tramp on Amazon
Man’s Best Friend (1993)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
We revisited this after reading that its writer/director John Lafia had passed away. For a low-budget horror it has a high body count, including a rather unique cat death. It’s daft, but a lot of fun.
The Shaggy D.A. (1976)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
Dated, but silly dog-based family fun.
🎬 Watch The Shaggy D.A. on Amazon
Oddball (2015)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
A fun family adventure, based on the true story of a penguin sanctuary protected by a dog.
🎬 Watch Oddball (Oddball and the Penguins) on Amazon
The Duke (1999)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
A daft caper about a dog who becomes royalty.
Beethoven’s 2nd (1993)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
A darker sequel, but still an entertaining watch full of dog shenanigans.
🎬 Watch Beethoven’s 2nd on Amazon
Merv (2025)
Our Letterboxd score: (3.5/5)
A likeable festive movie. The dog scenes are good, but the story around them feels a bit bland.
Look Who’s Talking Now! (1993)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
Likeable talking dog fun, which we rewatched in memory of Kirstie Alley.
🎬 Watch Look Who’s Talking Now! on Amazon
Bolt (2008)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
A likeable Disney animated adventure.
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
A silly but fun man-becomes-a-dog film, made funnier by the fact that it stars Robert Downey Jr and Rhea Seehorn, who have gone on to far better things.
🎬 Watch The Shaggy Dog on Amazon
Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
We are very much dog people and love dog films, but for some reason this one left us cold, which feels horrible as it’s based on a true story. We never really got the sense that Richard Gere’s family cared for the dog, and Hachi breaks out of the house every day to find Gere at the train station, yet nobody thinks to put a collar on him. It looks good, it’s well made and the dog is cute, but we just couldn’t connect with it, so we’ll need to seek out the Japanese original.
🎬 Watch Hachi: A Dog’s Tale on Amazon
Dog (2022)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
We really wanted to like this, but it was a mess: part drama, part comedy, and the comedy, with threesomes and getting stoned, was aimed at adults, so we’re not sure what audience they wanted. It raised some good points, but it all felt rushed because of all the other random stuff they wanted to include. Megan Leavey is a far superior film about service dogs.
K-9 Adventures: A Christmas Tale (2013)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
A harmless festive dog film.
K-9: P.I. (2002)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
A disappointing adventure for Dooley and Jerry Lee.
Merry Christmas Officer Hansel (2022)
Our Letterboxd score: (3/5)
An enjoyable, festive, low-budget dog adventure.
🎬 Watch Merry Christmas Officer Hansel on Amazon
Think Like a Dog (2020)
Our Letterboxd score: 
(2.5/5)
The idea of understanding what your dog is saying could make a great film. This isn’t it.
🎬 Watch Think Like a Dog on Amazon
Underdog (2007)
Our Letterboxd score: (2.5/5)
A cute but forgettable dog superhero film.
The Breed (2006)
Our Letterboxd score: (2.5/5)
It’s a good concept, but due to its PG-13 rating the dogs don’t do much killing, so as dog people we just felt sorry for them when they get killed for no real reason.
The Queen’s Corgi (2019)
Our Letterboxd score: (2.5/5)
Despite a ropey storyline and not the best animation, the film has enough for us as dog owners and lovers to enjoy, plus the familiar voices made it an easy watch.
🎬 Watch The Queen’s Corgi on Amazon
Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021)
Our Letterboxd score: (2.5/5)
A watchable family film about a very large dog, but Beethoven did it so much better.
🎬 Watch Clifford the Big Red Dog on Amazon
Beethoven’s 4th (2001)
Our Letterboxd score: (2.5/5)
A bland direct-to-DVD Beethoven adventure.
🎬 Watch Beethoven’s 4th on Amazon
Marley & Me: The Puppy Years (2011)
Our Letterboxd score: (2/5)
The young cast do well and the dogs are cute, but this is very much a kids’ film. It possibly could have rated higher, but the storyline of the bad dog show contestant zapping his dogs to train them was very uncomfortable, especially as the Rottweiler pups were so cute.
🎬 Watch Marley & Me: The Puppy Years on Amazon
So there you have it, our ratings and reviews of the dog movies on our Letterboxd list. Our top dogs, with a full five popcorn from Teddy, are Frankenweenie, Isle of Dogs, A Dog’s Purpose and Megan Leavey.
Which is your favourite dog movie? And is there one we’ve missed? Let us know!
You can also find the full list, Dog movies 🐾, on our Letterboxd, and follow us there for more of our film ratings.
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