A DOG’S PERFECT CHRISTMAS
A teen, her grandpa and loyal pups team up to rescue their family’s Christmas.
Should You Watch It?
Yes. This charming Christmas movie follows a disconnected family as a health scare and a new puppy bring everyone back together for the holidays. The cast is excellent, creating a believable family dynamic that makes their interactions feel natural and heartfelt.
Plenty of comedy, including some great lines from lead Dennis Quaid, balances the more emotional moments and adds depth. A few scenes feel silly, particularly Sander's interactions with three women competing for his romantic attention.
Family stands front and center in this story. Despite their initial struggles with dysfunctional relationships, each member gradually learns to work together and build stronger bonds. By the end, everyone has a greater appreciation for their loved ones.
Christmas is central to the story, though the celebration is secular. Frequent foul language, some alcohol use and a brief reference to a character's sexual orientation warrant parental discretion. Younger children should sit this one out; teens and adults are a better fit.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESThe Goss family has grown increasingly disconnected, with strained relationships and old grief creating distance between them. When Juliana suffers a medical emergency just before Christmas, widower Sander and his granddaughter, Ello, must find a way to keep the family together. With help from Winstead, Sander's loyal basset hound, and Ruby, an energetic new corgi puppy, the dogs bring some much-needed joy and companionship as Sander and Ello work to restore the family's Christmas spirit and reconnect their loved ones.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars for an uplifting Christmas movie with a wonderful family message at its heart. The cast shines, led by a particularly funny Dennis Quaid, and the actors share a natural chemistry that makes this family feel genuine.
Quaid and Brooke Lena Johnson, who plays his granddaughter, shine especially in their scenes together. Their early clashes and arguments gradually give way to genuine affection, creating some of the movie's most endearing moments.
A couple of lighter subplots occasionally pull attention away from the story. Sander finds himself pursued by three women, two of whom compete for his romantic attention, while Ello faces jealousy and unkind treatment from her friends.
Both storylines add some extra drama and comedy, though neither proves quite as engaging as the central family relationships. Still, the wonderful performances, genuine humor, and heartwarming family message make this a delightful Christmas watch.
The Worldview
A strong moral worldview anchors this holiday tale and upholds the biblical value of family. The story opens with several broken family dynamics, from a strained marriage to tension between a grandfather and his granddaughter.
Along the way, each character learns to cherish the others and the time they share. The story also champions sacrificial love. Hunter turns down an important promotion so he can spend more time at home and give his wife the chance to return to work, a choice that reflects the Bible’s call for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25).
Still, the family’s Christmas celebrations stay secular and never acknowledge the birth of Jesus Christ. In one scene, a character declares himself gay, which adds a homosexual element to the story.
But the story’s heart for selfless love still points families to the best gift of all: Jesus, the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
A strong Moral worldview, with a strong focus on the importance of family. Characters learn the importance and value of spending time with family and helping each other. There is a theme of sacrifice, with one character passing on an important job promotion so he can spend more time with his family and give his wife the chance to go back to work. There are also some light Christian elements, with the characters celebrating Christmas, but these celebrations are all secular in nature. Homesexual element as a character states that he is gay
Foul Language
Six obscenities, including two “b” words, one “s” word, one “a” word, and two “h” words, and 12 OMG profanities
Violence
No violence
Sex
A couple kisses
Nudity
Upper male nudity when a character appears shirtless in a hot tub in one scene, but he is only seen from the shoulders up
Alcohol Use
Three scenes show characters drinking alcohol, but not to excess
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drug use;
Miscellaneous Immorality
A character is bullied by her friends, who are jealous that she won an essay contest, and a character frequently lies to carry out different schemes, like helping his son at work and getting the dogs into the hospital, all for comedic effect.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Sander grieves his late wife, and withdrawsfrom life and his family as a result. Scripture tells us not to grieve without hope; what does it look like practically to grieve with hope? 1 Thessalonians 4:13
Both Sander and Ello decide to step up and take responsibility for the twins and the family’s holiday celebrations following Juliana’s hospitalization. In what ways does Jesus carry our burdens, and how does His sacrifice motivate us to carry the burdens of others? Galatians 6:2-5
Hunter passes on an important work promotion so that he can spend more time with his family, and give Juliana the chance to go back to work. Can you think of a time when someone made a meaningful sacrifice for you? How did it change how you view sacrifice in your own life? John 15:13
The Final Word
A DOG’S PERFECT CHRISTMAS delivers a heartfelt holiday watch, and its strong family story outshines a few silly subplots. Foul language, light drinking, jealousy and lies make it a better pick for teens than young kids. Parents can use it to talk with teens about how Hunter’s sacrifice reflects Christ’s selfless love, why honesty matters even in small things, and how to keep Jesus at the center of their own Christmas.
