Think Like a Dog | 2020 | PG | – 2.3.3

Why is “Think Like a Dog” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “rude and suggestive material.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a few kissing scenes, discussions of crushes and discussions of divorce and falling out of love, a preteen boy is kidnapped, hacking into satellites and the potential punishment for doing so, developing groundbreaking technology, fear of family breaking up, several arguments, and some mild language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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A preteen boy (Gabriel Bateman) and his dog navigate the possible separation of their family with the help of a groundbreaking technology the boy created. Meanwhile, a powerful tech businessman (Kunal Nayyar) will stop at nothing to get it. Also with Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, Madison Horcher, Minghao Hou, Janet Montgomery, Julia Jones, Bryan Callen and the voice of Todd Stashwick. Directed by Gil Junger. A few lines of dialogue are spoken in a Chinese language with English subtitles. [Running Time: 1:31]

Think Like a Dog SEX/NUDITY 2

 – A husband and wife kiss. A husband and his wife hug, dance and kiss. Several boys and girls (preteen to teen) dance at a school dance and a preteen boy and a preteen girl hug and the boy kisses her on the cheek. A preteen boy appears to have a crush on a preteen girl and other children laugh at him when he stares at her and has trouble asking her out. A preteen boy looks at a preteen girl and seems smitten while his dog talks about the girl’s dog in romantic terms.
► A man talks about dance being the “language of love,” as he dips her and they dance a tango briefly. A preteen boy practices asking a preteen girl to a dance in front of his dog. A female dog walks between a male dog’s legs and another male dog seems jealous as he says, “She’s serpenting his legs.” Four female dogs surround a male dog in a dog park and another dog seems jealous of the attention they give the dog. People refer to “junk in the trunk,” “keister,” and “badonkadonk” in a few scenes. A remark is made about a dog having been neutered. A dog describes a man as having “a perfect body.” A dog and a preteen boy debate the different ways dogs and humans show affection (kissing vs. sniffing). A man dances and we see him thrusting his hips briefly.
► A woman wears low-cut blouses in several scenes and cleavage, and part of her bra is visible. Women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage, bare backs and legs in a wedding video.

Think Like a Dog VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A man barges into a school dance, grabs a dog and tries to run away with it until a teen boy punches the man in the face and a man and a woman grab the man and arrest him (the man yells as he is taken away). A preteen boy and his dog are grabbed off a sidewalk and taken in a car to an airplane hangar where a man threatens them; the dog goes for help and the man yells at and questions the boy until many dogs rush in and chase the man as he cowers behind a car, and one dog sits on his chest and another flatulates on his face.
► A teen boy hacks into a satellite and redirects the power causing flashes of electricity to spark between a device on a dog’s head and another on a preteen boy’s head until they are both thrown and are unconscious (they wake up unharmed later and we see a device on a desk charred and crumpled); we then see street lights flash and explode outside. People talk about the potential damage that could be caused by a satellite being hacked and they talk about complete loss of cell service and interruption of banking. A preteen boy is punished with “home detention” for hacking into a satellite.
► A preteen boy yells at his parents and quizzes them about whether or not they are going to divorce and if his father is moving away; they don’t answer him and he storms out of the room. A teen boy sabotages a preteen boy’s science presentation and the younger boy becomes angry and yells. A teen boy mocks and threatens a preteen boy. A boy says that divorce is the worst thing that can happen to a family. A man talks about his mother having had a stroke in childbirth and that he has never heard her voice. A teen boy talks about his parents not talking and not communicating. A man implies that the creator of a popular cellphone stole the idea from him.
► A dog pulls a rug out from under a woman’s feet and she falls to the floor (we do not see injuries). A preteen boy is pulled high into the air when he demonstrates an electromagnet and a man tries to pull him to the ground by his feet. A man grabs a woman’s neck while she is driving and she yells at him (she has a pinched nerve) until she realizes that she is no longer in pain. A teen boy and a preteen boy play a VR game where their characters fight many others using swords. A man is struck in the side of the head with a soccer ball (there are no injuries).
► A dog makes a comment about a boy going to “juvie.” A preteen boy makes a comment about another boy going to the “big house.” A dog makes a comment about a “shame pillow.” Two women talk about possible infidelity and why a couple’s marriage might be ending. A dog says, “I hate him,” about another dog. A teen boy wears a T-shirt with the word “Legalize” on it.
► A dog defecates (we do not see it, although a preteen boy picks it up with a plastic bag) on a lawn and calls it an act of revenge (he’s jealous of the dog that lives in the house). A dog says, “I wanna puke.” A dog flatulates in a kitchen and three people react to the smell. A dog licks between his legs.

Think Like a Dog LANGUAGE 3

 – 7 scatological terms (6 mild), 11 anatomical terms (10 euphemistic terms, 1 mild), mild obscenities, name-calling (psychopath, liquid death, disturbing, nerd, turn off, bad boy, evil, insane, fart-face, Simple Bridget, sucker, wild animal, crazy, monster, criminally insane, derivative, thought reader), exclamations (my bad, jeez, duh, stop it, killing it), 4 religious exclamations (Oh My God). | profanity glossary |

Think Like a Dog SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man drinks a glass of champagne, and a man drinks what he calls “green goop” every day and gags a couple of times after swallowing it.

Think Like a Dog DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Dog and human relationships, being happy, insecurity, greed, love, family, ego, wisdom, kidnapping, hacking computer systems, thirst for knowledge, being able to read other’s thoughts, technological advancements, bullying, hopes, Common Law, dreams, inventions, separation, divorce, trust, fear.

Think Like a Dog MESSAGE

 – Never lose sight of the important things and keep life simple.