Mark Wahlberg stars in this based-on-a-true-story inspirational tale about an adventure athlete who befriends a stray dog while on an arduous cross-country team race and decides to bring him along on the journey. Sure, it has all the beats and tropes of a good old-fashioned underdog (no pun intended) flick, but director Simon Cellan Jones (‘The Family Plan’) goes a step further and sucks us into the horrifically exhausting race, making the bond between man and dog that much more poignant. It’s a feel-good, stand-up-and-cheer winner.
3.5/5 stars