The Art of Racing in the Rain
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures | Release Date: August 9, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
43
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Critic Reviews
Positive:
6
Mixed:
19
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
78
Paste MagazineOktay Ege Kozak Aug 15, 2019
With layered direction that emphasizes quiet moments over outward emotion during scenes of tragedy, and soulful performances all around, The Art of Racing in the Rain is just the right kind of tearjerker with an injection of positivity that our understandably pessimistic society needs. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleKatelyn LandryAug 7, 2019
Although predictable, the story still manages to pack an emotional punch and depending on your level of relatability to Swift’s hardships – cancer treatment, custody battles, a stagnant career – it might hit harder than you expect. Read full review
67
The Film StageDan MeccaAug 6, 2019
The X-factor is Costner. A household name for over thirty years, his vocal presence alone does wonders. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattAug 5, 2019
Rain is not a bad movie, really, and it doesn’t sell itself as anything other than earnest, floppy-eared family entertainment. But there’s a gooey out-of-time feeling to the whole thing that a lot of films like these seem to have — a sentimental IV drip that steadily manipulates heartstrings without ever quite touching anything like true life. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperAug 8, 2019
Thanks in large part to Costner’s robust, earnest, growling, deadpan voice work as a dog who can be brilliant one moment and fantastically clueless the next, “The Art of Racing In the Rain” still comes close to winning us over … Until the final scene, which was so shameless and manipulative, I wanted a refund on every lump in the throat and teary-eyed moment I had experienced to that point. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 5, 2019
That leaves it all up to the dog and the dog's story, and the pathos of that makes this weeper on wheels a winner. Barely. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawAug 8, 2019
Screenwriter Mark Bomback has adapted the three-hankie property from author and movie producer Garth Stein, and Simon Curtis directs. They have created a film aimed with lethal efficiency at your tear ducts like Chuck Norris putting his boot into your kidneys. Read full review
60
Arizona RepublicSamantha IncorvaiaAug 5, 2019
It's definitely a family-friendly film, but some of the slower moments might bore kids. More importantly: There isn't anything astoundingly different about this film. It's about a dog, and it's absolutely cute and sweet. It's also predictably heartwarming and it offers nothing new. Read full review
60
VarietyPeter DebrugeAug 5, 2019
Granted, there aren’t a lot of surprises in The Art of Racing in the Rain. If anything, knowing — or at least anticipating — how the film’s myriad tragedies will unfold seems to heighten the effect. Read full review
58
Original-CinJim SlotekAug 7, 2019
As it is, The Art of Racing in the Rain won’t disappoint anyone with basic expectations of a dog movie. It’s full of aww, if not wonder. Read full review
50
CNNBrian LowryAug 9, 2019
Yet even with the occasional dollop of dog-related humor, The Art of Racing in the Rain feels as ponderous as its title. While there have been plenty of movies that touch the heart through the relationship with our four-footed friends, if this one doesn't completely hit the skids, nor is it close to being the pick of the litter. Read full review
50
Screen DailyTim GriersonAug 8, 2019
Some heartfelt performances and an adorable dog aren’t quite enough to combat the sentimentality and contrivances that follow. Read full review
50
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldAug 8, 2019
If “golden retriever voiced by Kevin Costner” rings any alarm bells for you, steer clear. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshAug 8, 2019
The Art of Racing in the Rain, while a tearjerker, is a very strange movie, starting with its mouthful of a title. Read full review
50
The Associated PressLindsey BahrAug 8, 2019
At a certain point, the experience of watching this all unfold through Enzo’s eyes becomes the alienating element. You’re not experiencing the big moments yourself, you’re just experiencing Enzo experiencing them, leaving you to wonder if the story and performances alone are anything special without the dog’s metaphors and poeticisms. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeTy BurrAug 7, 2019
It’s a PG movie with pleasantly canned life lessons, and it’s safe for kids and adults alike, although anyone with a shred of cynicism may not want to be seen caving in to the script’s emotional inevitabilities. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversAug 7, 2019
When the movie stalls, it’s Enzo to the rescue. Since the film covers a decade in the lives of its characters, two dogs take turns playing Enzo, at age 2 and 9. They’re both picks of the litters. And Ventimiglia contributes an emotional honesty that serves him well even when the plot sinks into marshmallow. Read full review
50
RogerEbert.comNell MinowAug 7, 2019
I have eaten stacks of pancakes that were less syrupy than The Art of Racing in the Rain. Read full review
50
ObserverOliver JonesAug 7, 2019
If he weren’t voiced by a mellow and serene Kevin Costner, Enzo would sound like Martin Short’s old Ed Grimley character, only with Formula One replacing Pat Sajak and Wheel of Fortune as his object of obsession. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleG. Allen JohnsonAug 6, 2019
The Art of Racing in the Rain, a sure-handed but predictable adaptation of Garth Stein’s best-selling 2008 novel, is a sloppy wet-kiss of a movie that demands nothing more from its viewer than to engage and empathize. Awww! Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubCaroline SiedeAug 6, 2019
The Art Of Racing In The Rain will play well for those who consider their pets to be full-fledged family members, but otherwise this dog’s journey lacks a purpose or any sense of artistry. Read full review
50
Washington PostPat PaduaAug 5, 2019
The movie has its flaws. Still, for anyone with a soft spot for the mute gaze of man’s best friend, it’s hard not to shed a tear — or two — during The Art of Racing in the Rain. Read full review
50
The Hollywood ReporterCaryn JamesAug 5, 2019
Shaped by a near-constant monologue from a golden retriever named Enzo, The Art of Racing in the Rain is watchable but flat, with only occasional flashes of wit and feeling. Read full review
40
The TelegraphRobbie CollinAug 8, 2019
The result is a film with the depth and decorative value of an inspirational fridge magnet – yet there is a certain degree of fun to be had in hearing Costner monologuing about tapeworm and then picturing him in the voiceover booth, possibly with his head in his hands. Read full review
40
EmpireIan FreerAug 6, 2019
There is the odd funny moment, but The Art Of Racing In The Rain relies too heavily on the charms of its golden retriever. It might be built on the notion that dogs are the wisest of us all, but the end result winds up stupid. Read full review
37
TheWrapRobert AbeleAug 5, 2019
This sentimental slog about the relationship between a friendly golden retriever and the growing family of a race car driver is, under director Simon Curtis’ no-nonsense stewardship, about as box-checked and rubber-stamped as mainstream entertainment gets. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternAug 8, 2019
Maybe there’s no such thing as an innately bad dog — or, who knows, maybe there is. But there are inherently bad ideas for dog movies, and one of them has just manifested itself in The Art of Racing in the Rain. Read full review
30
TimeStephanie ZacharekAug 8, 2019
It’s nearly impossible to care about any of the humans. For a guy with a job that almost no one on the planet has, Denny is shockingly dull, and Ventimiglia fails to vest him with even an iota of personality. The generally charming Seyfried is saddled with a bum role that mostly requires her to suffer beatifically, and Donovan and Baker, both marvelously subtle actors, are badly suited to playing monsters-in-law. Read full review
30
The New York TimesTeo BugbeeAug 8, 2019
Enzo is a bad dog, and his antics play worse for the film’s lack of discipline. Read full review
20
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeAug 12, 2019
It’s laughably contrived and shamelessly calculating. Dog’s bollocks, but not in a good way. Read full review
0
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Brad WheelerAug 7, 2019
For most of the feeble, unmoving 109 minutes of The Art of Racing in the Rain, a Kevin Costner-voiced golden retriever named Enzo longs for death. I felt the same way. Read full review
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