WOOF WOOF DADDY (來自汪星的你) (2024)

SYNOPSIS: A band's lead singer Jiang Siwang (Aaron Kwok) , leaves his daughter, Jiang Lu (Yingying Lan), unexpectedly after his fatal car accident. But he is reborn as a dog twenty years later. Now he gets to spend the time with his daughter that he couldn't when he was still a human in this tear-jerking family film.

MOVIE REVIEW:

While critics are certainly not fans of Andy Lau, Louis Koo and Aaron Kwok's acting chops. At least they should be lauded for their working antics.

Kwok’s third outing for the year sees him playing Jiang Siwang, a simple sugar factory worker and doting father to seven year old Jiang Lu. Siwang is no ambitious man, his passion is being an amateur musician and most importantly, he just wants her only daughter to be happy. Unfortunately, a freak accident causes him to lose his life and Lu to lose her beloved father.

For whatever unexplained reason, Siwang returns as a furry orange dog two decades later and went on to look for his now adult daughter (Lyric Lan). Lu is now a has-been pop star apparently she hasn’t had a hit since her debut. Thus papa or in this case, doggy Wang has to find a way to encourage Lu and also hoping to finally reconcile with her.

Woof Woof Daddy is one of those light weight comedies that relies on the cuteness of a CGI animal to carry the movie. Obviously the animal in question looks more like a cartoon dog than a real one. It simply has that Garfield or Scooby Doo in a live-action movie kind of vibes. You have to decide if this is a distracting factor or not.

Anyway, the canine flick tries to be equally saccharine and heartwarming given the storyline hovers solely around a father-and-daughter relationship. The dad wishes to make up for lost time by providing support and encouragement to his daughter who has sort of given up in life. The fantasy channels whimsical charm as doggy Wang has to convince Lu by using “sign” language and some other clever antics.

Woof Woof Daddy is not that kind of movie that makes a lot of sense though. Perhaps to escape China’s strict censorship regarding any supernatural theme, there’s no mention of reincarnation or why is there an obese man governing the afterlife.

Still as charming as ever, the 59 year old Kwok is convincing enough as the hapless father. We are not that familiar with the works of Lyric Lan but the young actress is pretty easy on the eyes. Laughingly, Taiwanese actor Wang Dalu forgettably cameos as Lu’s no-good boyfriend cum manager.

If you are not expecting much, Woof Woof Daddy will resonates with those looking for a well-meaning fantasy drama. It has a somewhat cute CGI animal, some song routines and an affectionate theme. We heard the movie was filmed way back in 2021 but to us, Kwok is still a hardworking, prolific soul given his heavenly status in the industry.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee