Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, illness, death in sentimental family and dog tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
A Dog's Perfect Christmas
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Sander (Dennis Quaid) is still depressed following the death of his wife two years ago at the start of A DOG'S PERFECT CHRISTMAS. He mopes around the house and lets his daughter-in-law Juliana (Kathleen Rose Perkins) and granddaughter Ello (Brooke Lena Johnson) wait on him. Juliana already has her hands full with baby twins, while husband Hunter (Milo Ventimiglia) is distracted trying to save his job under a new boss at work. Nobody is happy, something dog Winstead (voiced by Thomas Haden Church) is painfully aware of. But when Juliana falls critically ill, the family must pull together to take care of each other.
Is It Any Good?
Author W. Bruce Cameron has inspired a cottage industry of tear-jerker tales of man's best friend, and this latest entry fits right into the mix. Despite a wobbly first act where neither the humor nor the depiction of depression quite lands, A Dog's Perfect Christmas builds into a satisfying family story with relatively rounded characters. The dog voiceovers, though a mainstay of the Dog films, feel superfluous here—they mostly just tell the audience what we already see ("he feels sad"). Likewise for the Christmas timing—the titular holiday feels like a marketing ploy, not intrinsic to the story. Director and co-scripter Cathryn Michon could have cut her cameo as the cartoonishly evil boss, while Brooke Lena Johnson shines as a teen ready to come out of her shell.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how A Dog's Perfect Christmas is similar to and different from other Cameron dog stories like A Dog's Journey, A Dog's Purpose, and A Dog's Way Home. Which film is your favorite, and why?
What are some of the lessons characters in this film learn? Which do you feel you could apply to your own life?
What do you think of the dog voiceovers? What do they add to the film for you?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 4, 2026
- Cast : Dennis Quaid , Brooke Lena Johnson , Milo Ventimiglia
- Director : Cathryn Michon
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Animals ( Dogs ) , Book Characters , Family Stories ( Dads , Grandparents , Moms , Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( High School )
- Run time : 101 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : November 4, 2026
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