Think Like a Dog

Oliver, twelve, is working on an experiment for the science fair when the invention goes wrong and creates a telepathic link between him and his dog Henry. He can now hear what the dog thinks. At the same time his parents are on the edge of separating. The film is not interested in its science fiction premise. It is interested in a boy trying to save his family: the telepathy is a pretext, and the real subject is a child working on the tension at home. That is why the dog functions less as a friend than as an adviser. The form is family film: bright colours, school scenes, simple comic situations and a dog with a voice-over. Gil Junger directed; he also made 10 Things I Hate About You. The film was set up as an American and Chinese co-production and constructed to address both markets. Gabriel Bateman plays Oliver, with Josh Duhamel and Megan Fox as his parents. Who it is for: anyone looking for a light family film to watch with small children. Who it is not for: adult viewers. The story is predictable, the humour simple, and the technology strand is never taken seriously.