Why Hollywood Loves Redeeming Male Characters With a Dog (Guest Blog)

One of the undeniable stars of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is named neither DiCaprio nor Pitt, but rather Brandy. She’s the pitbull terrier who kicks ass when it matters, and is otherwise patient and obedient. Most important, she adds a sweetly human counterpoint to her owner’s occasionally temperamental ways. Quentin Tarantino’s movie is retro, so the concept of a helpful and heroic dog is fitting.

Let’s face it: Brandy’s obedience to a male has a lot of company on screens past… and present. “The Art of Racing in the Rain” opens Friday, featuring “This Is Us” star Milo Ventimiglia (who, ironically, dies in that series trying to save his dog) as a racecar driver whose ups and downs are narrated by his canine companion (voiced by Kevin Costner). The film’s ads read, “From the studio that brought you ‘Marley and Me.'” Yep, there is another one primarily about a guy and his pooch.

Of course, we know about “man’s best friend,” but think about it: “Old Yeller,” “Travels With Charley,” “Call of the Wild,” “Chips the War Dog,” “All Creatures Great and Small” and “Lassie” come to mind, all featuring boys or men deeply affected by canine companions. This year’s “A Dog’s Journey” is narrated by a constantly reincarnating dog (Josh Gad) but, as he says in the trailer, “I always found my way back to Ethan” (his owner, played by Dennis Quaid). Even Bradley Cooper’s (real life) dog, Charlie, had a key role in “A Star Is Born,” garnering audience affection for an otherwise pretty troubled guy. The dog was the only one with Cooper’s character at his tragic end.

Also Read: 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' Film Review: Kevin Costner Voices Philosophical Dog In Standard-Issue Weeper

As the narrator of Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s hot new novel, “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” notes, “I remember a creative writing class I took, where the professor, a cynical screenwriter, told us that when our characters weren’t likable, you could fix it by giving them a club foot or a dog.”

He was likely considering male characters. When is the last time a story about a woman overly attached to an animal? “If a woman is crazy about her pet, she’s seen as lonely or trying to substitute it for a baby or worse, a spouse,” says Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times, who wrote a book called “The Puppy Diaries: Raising A
Dog Named Scout.”

“However, the best books about dogs — inside a dog and the hidden lives of dogs — were written by women.” (The best-selling “Through a Dog’s Eyes,” by Jennifer Arnold, for example, and Sigrid Nunez’s “The Friend,” which won last year’s National Book Award.)

Also Read: 16 Scene-Stealing Animals in Movies, From 'The Wizard of Oz' to 'Captain Marvel' (Photos)

It may be the surprise factor with men: the idea that they can be racing in the rain one moment — or in the case of Pitt’s new character, smashing hippies’ faces — but then come home to attend to their panting pal. Pitt’s character has had a very long night — and it is about to get darker — but when he looks at Brandy, he knows she has earned her evening walk.

Women appear to be touched by this behavior both on and off screen. “There’s nothing more appealing to women than seeing a strong man get emotional around animals and children,” New York psychologist Vivian Diller says. “And while the man is still master, it’s safer for him to be vulnerable with the animals.”

Which brings us to the current “master” of the country, the first White House resident in more than a century not to have a pet. Think Fala, Checkers, Buddy, and Sunny and Bo. Shouldn’t Trump’s media folks see the value — especially in winning female votes — of finding a mutt who could run around the West Wing and growl at Joe and Mika on the TV? Then again, dogs may offer unconditional love, but they do expect some loyalty and empathy in return. Whoops.

16 Scene-Stealing Animals in Movies, From 'The Wizard of Oz' to 'Captain Marvel' (Photos)

There are a lot of fun animal movies. But the animals that most jump out at us are the ones that come from movies that are NOT about animals. They’re the ones that genuinely steal the spotlight for a moment from their human counterparts and deserve just as much acclaim. Here are 16 that stole the show.
Toto the Dog – “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)

Is there a more famous dog in the history of movies? Capable of infiltrating an army of Oz soldiers and making sure you pay attention to that man behind the curtain, we’d choose Toto, whose real name was Terry, as a pet over Lassie or Rin Tin Tin any day.
MGM
Asta the Dog - "The Thin Man" (1934-47)

Another classic animal star, the wire fox terrier Skippy portrayed Asta in "The Thin Man" films and over a dozen movies overall throughout the 1930s. Skippy starred opposite William Powell, Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and more.
MGM
Capuchin Monkey - "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981)

The Indiana Jones question that has plagued fans for decades centers on the capuchin monkey perched on the shoulder of a Nazi soldier that manages to do the Seig Heil salute. Does that mean the monkey was a Nazi or was it just taught to perform the gesture? And either way, did it deserve its untimely fate at the hands of the face-melting Ark?
Paramount Pictures
Norman the Calf – “City Slickers” (1991)

Winning the part through a literal cattle call, Norman won the part after Billy Crystal came to the ranch where the calf was raised and picked it for having a “sweet Bambi look” and the “cutest face of all,” according to EW.
Columbia Pictures
Phil the Groundhog – “Groundhog Day” (1993)

Punxsutawney Phil gives a pretty good performance “for a quadraped” in the classic romantic comedy “Groundhog Day,” in which Murray’s character Phil Connors snaps, kidnaps the groundhog and gets in a high-speed chase. “Don’t drive angry!”
Columbia Pictures
Mr. Jinx the Cat – “Meet the Parents” (2000)

Deep down every cat owner wants to believe that they might train it as well as Robert De Niro figures out how to train Mr. Jinx to use the toilet. Just don’t try to milk your own cat.
Universal
Baxter the Dog – “Anchorman” (2004)

“You know I don’t speak Spanish!” Ron Burgundy’s multi-lingual, cheese-loving, pajama-wearing pet deserves some sort of medal for getting punted into the San Diego Bay. The original dog that played Baxter, Peanut, died in 2010, and a replacement, Quince, was cast to play Baxter in the sequel.
DreamWorks Pictures
Tiger – “The Hangover” (2009)

Yes, Mike Tyson really does have three pet tigers. The screenwriters even rewrote the script to include Tyson when they decided they wanted a tiger to appear in the Wolfpack’s hotel suite.
Warner Bros.
Joey the Horse - "War Horse" (2011)

We'll give that "War Horse" is technically a movie about an animal, but Steven Spielberg's sweeping war epic is actually so effective in part because of the 15 horses that managed to give an expressive, unified performance as the wonder-horse Joey.
DreamWorks
Uggie the Dog – “The Artist” (2011)

A true performer and in a way inspired by Asta from the Golden Hollywood era, Uggie often stole the stage from star Jean Dujardin both onscreen and off, making the rounds during the film’s press cycle and even getting his paw prints at the Chinese Theatre. Sadly, Uggie was put down in 2015 at age 13 after a battle with prostate cancer.
Warner Bros.
Cat – “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013)

The cat Oscar Isaac’s Llewyn Davis holds in the Coen Brothers’ film isn’t just a lost house pet: it’s a symbol for all of Davis’s failures as a person, as a musician and as someone who can feel empathy. Plus it’s surprisingly comfortable on the subway.
CBS Films
Daisy the Dog - "John Wick" (2014)

Lesson learned: do not mess with John Wick's dog. This adorable, 1-year-old beagle at the time of filming won the job over a dozen other puppies in the filmmakers search for "the cutest dog in the world" and managed to warm the heart of even the most cold-blooded of assassins as played by Keanu Reeves.
Summit Entertainment
Black Phillip the Goat – “The Witch” (2016)

The goat in Robert Eggers’s indie horror gem “The Witch” is a very real, 210-pound billy goat named Charlie that gives such a devilishly good performance, turning completely demonic in a surprise twist, that A24 actually made an awards campaign promo for it. The same goat even later showed up in A24’s “It Comes at Night.”
A24
Little Man the Bird - "I, Tonya" (2017)

The bird perched on Allison Janney's shoulder in "I, Tonya" might've won her an Oscar. Janney actually "auditioned" three separate birds for the role and this one "just sat there and was so sweet," she told the New York Times. But when the time came to film, it kept pecking at her oxygen tank, forcing her to step up her game and focus.
Neon
Olivia the Westie - "Widows" and "Game Night" (2018)

This fluffy star in the making appeared in not one but two 2018 hits, the thriller "Widows" and the comedy "Game Night." Olivia gave an especially good performance when Brian Tyree Henry's character in "Widows" was forced to violently pick her up by the scruff. But all's well that ended well when the two reunited on a talk show.
Fox/Warner Bros.
Goose the Cat - "Captain Marvel" (2019)

The important thing to know about Goose is that he's not actually a cat, but rather a "flerken," a vicious, multi-tentacled space beast who can gobble up an army of alien soldiers and leave a permanent scratch for one Nick Fury.
Marvel

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Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore

There are a lot of fun animal movies. But the animals that most jump out at us are the ones that come from movies that are NOT about animals. They’re the ones that genuinely steal the spotlight for a moment from their human counterparts and deserve just as much acclaim. Here are 16 that stole the show.

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BIO Mary Murphy and Michele Willens

Mary Murphy is magazine and TV journalist and an associate professor at the USC Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism. Michele Willens is a New York-based writer and NPR theater commentator. They are writing a book on the history of entertainment journalism.