Film

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Name: The Art of Racing in the Rain
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2019
Cast: Kevin Costner, Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Lily Dodsworth-Evans

Drama

A dog narrates his family's story with unexpected wisdom, turning a tearful meditation on love and loss into something unexpectedly moving. It's a film that earns its sentiment through genuine observation of how we show up for each other. For anyone who's loved a dog, or anyone looking for something that won't insult your intelligence while it's breaking your heart.

TMDb rating

4.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love stories told from an animal's point of view, where a sweet, philosophical narrator turns a family's ordinary struggles into something tender and wise.

Skip it if you find talking-animal narration twee or sentimental, since it leans hard on the dog's earnest voice and wears its heart openly on its sleeve.

What it asks of you: At just under two hours, its pace is patient and mostly unhurried, with emotional weight arriving in quiet stretches rather than set-piece thrills.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

A Dog's Purpose2017

Another dog-narrated journey through multiple lives and meanings, asking what loyalty and purpose really mean. Funny, strange, and more philosophically ambitious than it first appears.

But The reincarnation premise feels gimmicky, and the film doesn't always balance sentiment with credibility. Some will find the metaphysics too much.

Marley & Me2008

A dog's entire lifespan as a mirror for a marriage's evolution. It's warm and genuinely lived-in, with performances that feel earned rather than performed.

But The ending is what you think it is. If you go in braced for sadness, you might resent it for delivering exactly that.

My Friend Flicka1943

A boy and his horse, shot in glorious Technicolor, learning sacrifice and responsibility together. It's nostalgic without being false, and the animal is a real character, not a prop.

But The pacing is languid by modern standards. Children today may find it slow. Adults may find it too earnest.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Art of Racing in the Rain

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Shape of Water2017

Both films argue that profound understanding between beings requires no dialogue, only presence and witness.

A mute woman and a creature who cannot speak form a connection deeper than language allows. Like Racing in the Rain, it asks what love means when words aren't available—what loyalty looks like stripped of explanation.

But It's gothic, strange, and sexually explicit in ways that will confuse or repel you. The tone is dreamlike and oblique, not warm.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey1993

Two dogs and a cat crossing wilderness to find their family, narrated with genuine affection and humor. It's adventure and emotional intelligence in equal measure, perfect for rewatching.

But The animal-narrator conceit hasn't aged perfectly. Some scenes rely on tricks that feel dated now, and the sentimentality is unironic.

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey poster

Hachi: A Dog's Tale2009

A Shiba Inu's unwavering love for his owner, told with restraint and care. Richard Gere understates beautifully, and the film trusts you to feel without spelling it out.

But It's quietly devastating, almost to the point of passivity. Some will find it slow; others will find the sadness unbearable.

Belle2013

A family dog becomes a portrait of class, love, and finding dignity in a broken world. It's a social-problem film disguised as a pet story, with depth underneath.

But The film is slow and very British. It prioritizes observation over plot, which means long stretches of very little happening.

Turner & Hooch1989

A cop and a uncontrollable dog learning to partner and trust each other. It's funny, surprisingly tender, and Tom Hanks commits fully to the chaos.

But The humor is broad and sitcom-like. The mystery plot exists mostly to create excuses for dog-and-cop bonding.

Because of Winn-Dixie2005

A lonely girl and her rescued dog help each other become part of a community. It's gentle, specific to the South, and genuinely interested in how broken people heal.

But The film is very small and quiet. Nothing explosive happens; if you want plot momentum, you won't find it here.

Beethoven1992

A massive St. Bernard upends a suburban family's comfort and teaches them about loyalty. It's silly, yes, but the dog is genuinely likeable and the family grows into better people.

But It's corny and broad, with jokes that would not survive modern sensibilities. The sentimentality is relentless and uncomplicated.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs2018

Both films use a specific masculine world—racing, the American South—to ask what character means, and whether love survives our worst instincts.

A six-story anthology that treats dogs, drivers, and the small moral choices we make with equal gravity. Each episode is a self-contained film, beautifully made, surprising in tone and meaning.

But It's bleak in ways The Art of Racing isn't. Stories end badly because people make bad choices, not because life is sad. It's cynical where that film is tender.

Ikiru1952

Both films argue that a life's worth isn't measured in happiness or success, but in whether you showed up and gave what you had to the people who depended on you.

An old man dying of cancer discovers meaning by building a playground for children he'll never meet. Kurosawa's masterpiece about what a life adds up to, told with unbearable grace.

But It's Japanese cinema from 1952, black and white, and it requires patience. The first half is deliberately tedious. Many will find it too slow to finish.