The Art of Racing in the Rain (2019) * *

Directed by:  Simon Curtis

Starring:  Milo Ventimiglia, Amanda Seyfried, Kevin Costner (voice), Kathy Baker, Martin Donovan, Ryan Kiera Armstrong

Denny Swift (Ventimiglia) is such a nice guy.   He doesn't deserve to endure the bad things that happen to him in The Art of Racing in the Rain.    Boy, they do happen.    The only ignominy which eludes him is being stripped of his driver's license.    Parents may make the mistake of bringing their kids to this movie because it has a lovable dog in it, but this is gloomy, depressing fare.    Enzo (voice of Kevin Costner) narrates this story from his point of view, and he is the quintessential dog who thinks he's a human.   If you don't believe me, listen to the words and insights he uses.

It took some time to get used to the gravelly voiced Costner's narration.   The movie opens with the aged Enzo lying on the floor in a puddle of his own urine.   The end is near, but that's ok, because Enzo heard about the Mongolian belief that dogs could return to their next life as a human if they do everything properly in their present lives as dogs.   Enzo is wise, insightful, and he can feel and smell when something is wrong.    In the Swift household, a lot goes wrong.    We are waiting to witness what hurdle the Swifts will have to leap over next.

Enzo is named for Enzo Ferrari, and his new owner is Denny, an up and coming Seattle area race car driver.    Denny wins a lot because he is able to maneuver his race car in the rain better than anyone.   Enzo sometimes is taken to the racetrack, and he loves the atmosphere there.    Denny doesn't crash on the course, but his personal life is a wreck through no fault of his own.    He meets and falls in love with the equally sweet Eve (Seyfried), who is as leery of Enzo as Enzo is of her.    Eve and Denny marry and have a daughter, although Eve's parents (Donovan and Baker) aren't thrilled with Denny's choice of employment.    They show exactly how much disdain they have for his racing later.

I won't reveal much, but the saintly patient Denny has to deal with losing a loved one and a custody battle initiated shortly after the funeral.    To say the plaintiffs have insensitive timing is an understatement.   Enzo is there through it all, and a pall hangs over the events like the clouds and rain in Seattle.    Denny deserves better, his family deserves better, and Enzo deserves better.    Then, there is the cornball ending which I won't get into now.    At least any deaths in the film have the decency to happen offscreen.