Neil and I were able to have a fun date night to an early screening of “Dog Days,” thanks to our AMC Stubs Premiere membership. If you have AMC theaters near you, I highly recommend paying for a yearly membership. The perks alone make up for the cost! I digress. You’re here to read my Dog Days movie review and find out if it’s ok for kids!
Dog Days Movie Review
Let’s begin by giving you the movie synopsis. Dog Days focuses on the lives of several characters based in the Los Angeles area who also happen to be dog owners (or rescuers, as it were). 
The story follows each set of characters and their dogs throughout the movie until the all converge together in a big plot point at the end of the film. It very much reminded me of the “He’s Just Not That Into You” or “Valentine’s Day” ensemble movies. Some notable stars include Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries), Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) just to name a few.
What Adults Will Like About Dog Days
Neil and I both agreed that this film was predictable yet relate-able. We are dog people, so a lot of the slapstick comedy involving dogs and all the ups and downs of having them in your life really hit home for us.
I don’t often post spoiler-free reviews, but I am trying to do that with this film, so I won’t say much more than there is a pregnant character situation that was eerily familiar to us. It was so familiar in fact that I wondered if someone overheard us in the early years of child rearing and took some pages right out of our story!
What we both really appreciated about the movie was that it was lighthearted and fun. No, it’s not going to win any Oscars, but it was a great date-night movie that didn’t have a ton of language, violence, or nude scenes (in fact, no nude scenes at all).
What Kids Will Like About Dog Days
If you choose to take your kids, they will adore all of the cute dogs in the movie. There are labradoodles, pugs, chihuahuas, Yorkies, and more! There are also some run-of-the-mill potty humor type jokes that kids will probably cackle over (much to the chagrin of parents, I’m sure).
Tweens and teens will appreciate the more mature story lines dealing with family and relationships. Like I previously stated, there are no nude scenes, but certain things do happen that, if you’re 12+, you can probably read between the lines about. I appreciated Dog Days for keeping it real without making young dating couples watching feel like they might get in trouble with their parents for what they saw on the screen.
Is Dog Days OK for Kids?
Overall, I’m going to give Dog Days a 12+ rating. There are minor incidents of language and scenes that suggest things happen (without showing it), as well as some minor kissing, but the biggest reason for the age suggestion for me is the mature themes. One set of the characters deal with adjusting to adoption (and not just of the family dog), and another deals with a sad life situation throughout the film (on top of grown-up situations like cheating partners and lying).
It’s not to say that I shield my kids from these experiences or situations in real life, but their grasp of those concepts is just not there yet. It would necessitate me explaining a lot of what’s going on, which, honestly, ruins my movie-going experience as I usually haven’t seen the film before they see it with me.
See Dog Days in Theaters August 8th!
You know your kid, and you know what they are emotionally mature enough to handle. If you’re over animated movies or you need a break from mind-numbing action movies, chill out for the afternoon with Dog Days. You might just have to adopt a little furry friend yourself after you see it!
