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
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