The Art of Racing in the Rain

The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) is narrated by a dog. Enzo grows up alongside an owner who wants to be a racing driver and tries to understand life through the rules of the track. He watches him marry, have a child, and then the illness that follows. Enzo believes he will be reborn as a human. The source is Garth Stein's 2008 novel, which stayed on American bestseller lists for a long time and took a decade to reach the screen. Simon Curtis directed. Milo Ventimiglia plays the owner, Denny, and Amanda Seyfried his wife. Kevin Costner voices Enzo. Its best decision is using racing as the metaphor. Driving in rain requires thinking ahead rather than reacting, and the film sets that up as the equivalent of coping with loss. Denny's scenes in the car were shot at real circuits. It runs 109 minutes. Good for: films narrated by animals, family drama, and motorsport. Less good for: the film aims straight at your feelings and the illness section is long, with scenes built plainly to make you cry. The custody subplot is contrived. The dog's narration is over explanatory for some viewers.