[ckissick]

I checked the critic's opinions, and about half loved it, and half hated it. No in between.

Those who loved the movie did so because it showed the importance of the love and loyalty of a dog, and the movie was a tribute to that.

Those who hated it showed a lack of feelings, or they were mad that the movie made a shameless attempt to jerk a few tears. What they didn't get was that the sad ending was in the movie (and the book) because such an ending is an integral part of dog companionship.

We are supposed to out-live our dogs, and are likely to all go through such a process. I felt that the haters of the movie just didn't get it.