The Art of Racing in the Rain

The book club that I once belonged to also read The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and I loved it so much that I recommended it to everyone.  I have been eagerly anticipating the movie adaptation and I finally had the chance to see it yesterday.  A golden retriever named Enzo (voiced by Kevin Costner) has been with Denny (Milo Ventimiglia), an aspiring Formula One race car driver with an affinity for driving in the rain, since he was a puppy.  He likes watching television while Denny is away from home and learns from a documentary about Mongolia that some dogs are reincarnated into humans after they die.  Enzo hopes that he will be able to become a man so that he can be a race car driver himself.  The story is told from Enzo's point of view as he learns everything he can about driving from Denny and, as time goes by, applies these lessons to life as Denny gets married to Eve (Amanda Seyfried), becomes a father to Zoe (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), suffers an unspeakable tragedy, and overcomes adversity.  As a huge fan of the book I was happy that the movie followed the source material pretty faithfully (other than changing a minor subplot which, frankly, worked much better in my opinion).  I loved the way the relationship between Denny and Enzo is portrayed, especially Enzo's jealousy when Eve vies with him for Denny's affections and his protectiveness when Zoe is born.  I loved Costner as the narrator and I think he makes Enzo into a really believable character.  I also liked Ventimiglia as Denny because he is very appealing and Seyfried does very well in a role that is not as developed.  The story is, admittedly, quite emotional but I think everyone who has ever had a dog will relate to it and, after all of the tears, the ending will put a smile on your face.  I recommend this movie to everyone who loved the book and to everyone who loves dogs!

Note:  I've been thinking about all the books my former book club read and I've decided that I need to join another one!