Dove Review

While volunteering as a bell-ringer for the Salvation Army, Santa Claus narrates A Dog for Christmas, a story that reveals the Madison family’s crazy holiday plans. While Dave (Hugh Gall) and Sandy (Janet Caine) scramble to welcome both sides of their family into their home for Christmas, their daughter, Kasandra (Sophie Bolen), only has one concern: Will Santa Claus read her letter and deliver a dog for Christmas?

All Dave wants is to take a nap and bypass the snow-shoveling and fire-building, and all Sandy wants to do is keep the family’s Chardonnay wine off her spotless carpet. Between their holiday hustle, Dave and Sandy bypass Kasandra’s canine request and miss out on quality Christmas memories.

Though the title seems to promise a puppy plot, the storyline hinges more so around the adults’ alcohol heists and the Madisons’ inability to get along with their cranky old neighbor, Wesley. A few drunken scenes mixed with blatant sexual innuendos are not appropriate for a young audience, and with a lack of any moral compass pointing toward the love and redemption of Christmas, this movie does not parallel Dove’s core values.

The Dove Take:

Even though Santa Claus’s Christmas charity and cheer are welcoming, A Dog for Christmas’ plot offers few if any positive themes of faith and integrity and includes excessive alcohol and crude language, making this film not Dove-approved.

Dove Rating Details

0

Faith

None

1

Integrity

None

3

Sex

Sandy, wearing cleavage-revealing clothing, massages shirtless Dave and the two discuss having sex before someone ruins their plan. While drunk at an office Christmas party, Dave tries to French kiss a co-worker and later dances inappropriately with another co-worker. Dave bumps into a gypsy couple that brags about living together even though they’ve only known each other four days.

3

Language

H*** used one time; multiple uses of comedic slang for genitalia; reference to exotic dancers and a “female undergarment”; harmless, but harsh name-calling from multiple characters throughout movie; loose, comedic reference to God as “the Big Guy”

0

Violence

None

3

Drugs

Multiple scenes include wine, “Jack” and other brands of liquor. Two scenes include drunk characters who create inappropriate conversation and actions while under the influence.

1

Nudity

Sandy wears cleavage-revealing tops throughout the movie.

1

Other

Dave consistently lies about helping his neighbor to impress his wife, and though he runs into several strange characters who need a positive influence, he fails to offer them a true Christmas spirit.