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The romanticism that mainstream listeners associate with Portman's career is owed in part to these Hallström films, and A Dog's Purpose reinforces that perception. While the composer rarely explored unabashed orchestral romance in the two decades after her initial burst into the industry, this work strives to capture the same essence of that character even if it is more homely in stature. The tone of fluffy and hopelessly cheery in quintessential Portman ways, but it's conveyed here with a predominantly Western spirit because so much of this narrative takes place within the farm-based Ethan and Hannah storyline. The remaining portions of the story are splintered in location and style, diminishing their music's impact on the whole. Most listeners will find the Western stylings restrained enough to be affably innocuous, acoustic guitar and clarinet defining much of the character of the score. A banjo joins the Western twang of "Bailey Escapes" while synthetics offer dreamy backing in some cues. Varied percussion offers anxious humor in "Bailey Swallows Coin," a slight Hammond organ adds a 1970's vibe to "Swimming With Hannah and Ethan," and brass tones debut in support of the choppy low strings and percussion in "Fire." A sinking synthetic effect and more modern percussion enters in "The Dam" while funk instrumentation highlights the Tino sequence. In the end, it's the guitar, solo woodwinds, and piano that drive this score's heart, aided, of course, by a moderately-sized string ensemble. These elements largely carry over from life to life, but Portman's themes do not. The composer seemed intent to allow each life's human characters their own motifs rather than concentrating on the core soul of the dog. That soul is largely represented by the theme for the most impactful dog of the story, Bailey, and Portman does supply him with the overarching theme of the film. But aside from diversions for the final life shown (Buddy), the humans receive the bulk of remaining themes, with Ethan and Hannah's sappy love theme equaling Bailey's theme for dominance in the narrative. More non-descript melodic structures for the Ellie and Tino lives are mostly self-contained, though hints of the original Bailey material does try to sneak into these other passages through fragmentary hints.

The main theme of A Dog's Purpose belongs to Bailey, and this is the only idea that Mark Isham carries over to the similar 2019 sequel, A Dog's Journey. This idea is defined by exuberant, four-note descending phrases at its outset and opens "Bailey" with guitars and piano over easily digestible string backing. It appeals at 0:29 into "Ethan Plays Ball With Bailey" on piano over a pleasantly slight synthetic wash, developing into a full string ensemble expression of splendor with pulsating woodwinds. It emerges on flute in the middle of "Bailey Shut in Garage" over synth bass, shifting to a full guitar and string crescendo with happy bird sound effects. Bailey's theme is reduced to light piano at the start of "Ethan Leaves for College" but experiences its fullest joy on strings at 0:41 into that cue, including the theme's secondary sequences, though it dissolves to melancholy solo clarinet as required by the separation. Only the chords inform most of "Bailey: I Knew I Was Here to Love Ethan," though a solo cello statement finishes off that part of the storyline with retrospection. After several lives in between, the theme returns with heart on piano at 1:44 into "Buddy Finds His Way Back to Ethan," transitioning to optimistic clarinet and acoustic guitar later in the cue. It opens "Buddy is Bailey" tentatively, achieving a curious fantasy tone at 1:28 before the cue eventually accepts the theme again fully with twinkling accompaniment and closes with the prototypical Portman piano resolution on a major chord. For the end credits, this theme dominates "A Dog's Purpose" as a suite arrangement, briefly adding light rock drums to the ensemble. As attractive as Bailey's theme will be for most listeners, though, the heart of A Dog's Purpose comes from the love theme for Ethan and Hannah. Doubling as a more basic representation of the happiness of Ethan, this idea is built upon rising, four-note phrases that are almost like a directly mirrored reflection of Bailey's theme. (One can hope this was an intentional strategic decision.) The theme is true Portman romanticism at its core, reminiscent of her 1990's genre classics. It debuts at 1:30 into "Bailey" on solo clarinet over guitar and strings, is very slight and fragmented on piano in "Hot Pickup Truck," and informs the lament on oboe early in "Bailey Shut in Garage."

The most upbeat moment in the score for A Dog's Purpose comes courtesy the Ethan and Hannah love theme in "Swimming With Hannah and Ethan" on guitars, piano, and strings after the prior teasing in "Hot Pickup Truck." Conversely, it's barely coherent on piano in the first half of "Ethan Breaks Up With Hannah," after which it consolidates beautifully for typical Portman sadness later in the cue. Fragments bubble up at the outset of "Buddy Finds His Way Back to Ethan," a variation becoming joyous for a moment at 0:47. Hints of the love theme foreshadow the following scene at the beginning of "Hannah Returns" before pieces of the melody regain form on piano as the cue anxiously propels forward. Its reformation continues on piano at the outset of "Ethan Apologizes" and slowly gains momentum until a piano and guitar rendition wonderfully bursts open for the full ensemble at 1:21, the idea rediscovering its affable guitar and woodwind personality thereafter. The other segments of the film aren't as glamorous, but they do remain functional. The Ellie material is meant to be non-descript compared to the Bailey themes, very slightly explored in "Ellie" and the same rising figures hinted by piano and oboe in "Ellie: You're A Good Dog." Later, the music for the Tino segment of a mid-1980's setting is addressed by funky and hip keyboarding, electric guitar, and Hammond organ. A breezy and cool theme in "Tino" accelerates to silliness before a wholesome piano theme at 1:30 has hints of Bailey's theme. This later idea moves on to a stuttering, struggling, but redemptive pace in "Tino: One of My Best Lives." The Buddy segment starts to reform the Bailey instrumentation as that dog returns to Ethan. Portman handles the newer version of the same setting with a more modern Western tone in "Buddy Chained Outside" that emphasizes electric guitar, and the second half of this cue offers some of the most resonating gravity in the work. This music openly mingles with the earlier Bailey material by "Buddy Finds His Way Back to Ethan." In the end, though, it's the tandem of the Bailey theme and the love theme that will melt the hearts of Portman fans in A Dog's Purpose. The 47-minute album experience, released as a limited CD by Quartet Records, needs rearranged to highlight these two themes and discard the unrelated offshoots for different segments. While Isham's sequel score references Portman's main theme a few times as token inserts, his work lacks the same simple, undeniable charm of Portman in her tender comfort zone.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Rachel Portman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.31 (in 30 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.26 (in 28,116 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.