Kidzworld reviews the heartwarming film Max about a war dog and a teen who are able to heal each other and mend a family’s broken heart.
By: Lynn Barker
Young Justin (Josh Wiggins) has never been able to replace his older brother Kyle in his father’s heart . Now, with Kyle gone, does he have a chance with dad? Will Kyle’s wardog Max help make this possible?
Kyle with MaxCourtesy of Warner Bros.
Story Goes
16-year-old Justin cares about his older bro Kyle who is serving in Afghanistan but he feels he can never match Kyle's heroic stance in his parents’ eyes. Justin acts out by pirating new videogames and selling them to his homies. When Kyle is killed in Afghanistan, his wardog Max, an expert at searching for bad guys and weapons, is taken back to the states.
Justin with his family after his brother's funeralCourtesy of Warner Bros.
Max has a doggie form of PTSD and is sad, angry and frightened. He only responds to Justin. He must sense something of Kyle in him. Justin is reluctant to befriend Max but his friend Chuy's visiting cousin Carmen has a way with dogs and helps Justin re-train Max.
Justin (Josh) tries to make friends with MaxCourtesy of Warner Bros.
When Kyle's childhood friend and war buddy Tyler returns from the war and comes over, Max goes nuts. He simply hates the guy. We remember that Tyler cowered and was partly responsible for Kyle's death and he is lying about it. Tyler is up to no good and it is up to Justin and his friends Carmen and Chuy to bust Tyler's illegal weapons selling ring and save dad who has stumbled upon the illegal activity. Can Max bring dad and son together?
Max on duty in AfghanistanCourtesy of Warner Bros.
Wrapping Up
Max is a warm and fuzzy tale for the whole family. There are sad moments but we have to tell you that there is a happy ending since we don't like films where animal characters don't make it through the movie. Young Josh Wiggins is both cute and an amazing natural actor. This teen is really going somewhere in the film world. Other younger actors are believable as well and veterans Thomas Hayden Church and Lauren Graham are "real" as mom and dad.
Justin and Kyle's parentsCourtesy of Warner Bros.
Max gets a little "formula" and there are a lot of developments that you can predict but the dogs (there were several) playing Max are soooo well-trained and loveable that you can forgive the fact that what happens isn't super original. We like the film enough to go 4 stars.
Destined to be best palsCourtesy of Warner Bros.
Max Movie Rating:
Max Movie PosterCourtesy of Warner Bros.
Max is in theaters now!
