Unofficial Trilogy… Weird Reincarnations Edition
No one will ever argue that Hollywood is full of weirdos. No one would ever argue that it’s chock full of weird ideas, either. But pseudo-sentimental malarkey in the guise of an ancient religious philosophy? That’s another story (or three), and it makes up this Unofficial Trilogy.
This is the classic story of Dad dies, Dad comes back as a dog, Dead Dad Dog escapes a dog pound then lives with a homeless woman then flees a testing lab then finds his old family then comes to terms with being a dog then lives the rest of his life on the road on his own. Really.
Does that snowman in the above picture look like Michael Keaton? Of course not! Because George Clooney was originally slated to star in this clunker. Wannabe rock star dad Keaton misses his son’s hockey game to chase his dream, and full of guilt, he tries to return home to take his family to their cabin. In a shocking! twist of fate, he dies trying to make it back. Blah-blah-blah he returns a year later as a snowman! The harmonica was magical! His son’s bully becomes his son’s best friend because neither of them had dads! Keaton’s character’s band’s name (that’s a lot of s‘s) was “The Jack Frost Band.” Really.
At least this film set out to be creepy and awkward. And its ending is ambiguous. It’s definitely the most intriguing of the three in this Unofficial Trilogy. That is if you’re into the Dead Husband is Now a Ten Year-Old Child So You Take a Bath Together genre of filmmaking. Really.