Better than the book

You've heard this cliche: "The book is always better than the movie." And, generally, I suppose, it's true.* Except when you compare Mario Puzo's The Godfather with Francis Ford Coppola's film. Or today, when I saw The Art of Racing in the Rain after reading Garth Stein's book.

Both are narrated by Enzo, a highly evolved and loving dog and a very good boy. As a puppy he is adopted by Denny, which be believes is his destiny, a critical step on his path to being reincarnated as a human. Denny is his hero, his friend, his teacher. He lives his life in service of Denny and, when Denny gets married and starts a family, includes wife Eve and daughter Zoe in his heart.

So far, the book and the movie track.

What happens to Denny in the movie is the stuff of life. I don't want to give any spoilers away, but what Denny's family endures is something that has touched someone you know.

All this happens to Denny in the book, too. Only it's exacerbated by a plot twist that felt unnecessary and, worse, misogynistic. I'm happy to report the producers seemingly came to the same conclusion, because Annika** never made it to the screen. The movie is better for it.

It's not a perfect movie. There's a sequence with a stuffed zebra that worked better on the page than it does on the screen and I wish it had been handled differently. But let's not quibble.

If you love animals, if you have a heart and a pulse, this movie will touch you.

*Though since books and movies are different media, it's not really an apt comparison.

** If you read the book, you know who she is.