Minimal Spoiler Review:

The Art of Racing In The Rain is an adaptation of Garth Stein’s novel of the same name. It follows the story of racer Denny Swift (Milo Vetimiglia), who is an up and coming driver, always looking for the next challenge. The twist is that the story is almost entirely told from the perspective of his dog, Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner).

The whole story is well-told from Enzo’s perspective, as he navigates his life to find his role and purpose, as Denny goes through life. Enzo is rather focused on racing, and discovers there is much more to life than that. This is the meat of the story, and it is very engaging.

It’s a very touching tale, and pulls at your heartstrings. It’s the kind of story where all the characters are properly fleshed out and don’t do anything for the sake of the plot. It’s hard to properly described, but all the actors were convincing in their roles, and I got sucked into the story without being taken out of it by anything on that front.

I wholeheartedly recommend this film, and it will definitely be on my top ten of 2019 list. I’ll admit that I did not read the book, so I can’t comment on how closely it follows the story, but I hope that’s the case, here. Go and enjoy.

Standard Review (with minor plot spoilers):

I’ll admit that I’m not a dog person (I’m pretty much a cat person), and even though the author anthropomorphized Enzo, I can get why people love them so much. Enzo’s role is as a commentator on what’s happening around him, but he’s also part of the situation. It gives him, and us, a unique perspective.

As for the story, it’s rather good. There are one or two standard story cliches that are involved, but they play out in better ways than I’ve come to expect. Without going into too much detail, it suffices to say that they are infused with a healthy dose of three dimensional characters and behaviors, which can be difficult to portray on screen. Kudos out to Amanda Seyfried, who plays Eve, and Kathy Baker, who plays her mother, Trish. Even the supporting characters behave like human beings with their own lives, and that’s hard to do, especially given their onscreen time. Very refreshing to see it done right.

It’s a well-done story without relying too heavy on the racing or the drama. I wish there had been more of the racing angle, they put enough that it wasn’t frustratingly absent. While they ascribe a lot of human behavior to Enzo, it’s necessary for the story, and keeps things moving. At times, Enzo is the most human character of them all, acting as our proxy in the film, for us. Doing that well is a challenge, but it pays off.