Patrick 2018

     Sarah’s life is a bit of a mess?  In her will, her grandmother left her a very spoiled dog.  Sarah doesn’t need anything else in her life to take care of because she can barely take care of herself.  His name is Patrick, he is a pug and he has some problems?  He wakes up early, needs walking, takes too much time to do his business and he needs special meals.  He’s a bit of a troublemaker, he has separation anxiety, he tears up her possessions and the landlord finds out there is a dog in the building.  Dogs are not allowed!!  Patrick almost gets Sarah’s neighbor Celia and her well-behaved pup Wendy evicted!!    

     Sarah is a kooky, klutzy schoolteacher with a new job and she’s a running joke in her family?  She has a LOT of chaos in her life that’s out of control.  I was surprised because of the reviews that this film is a lot better than I thought it would be?  Sarah is a likable character and even Patrick grows on you.  Sarah begins with difficulties in her new teaching job but it gets better too.  Her class is out of control and Mr. Peters at the school can be difficult.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

94 min, Family directed by Mandie Fletcher with Sam Fletcher, Beattie Edmondson, Rupert Holliday-Evans, Ann Queensberry, Jason Lewis, Kasia Koleczek, Patricia Potter, Ben Roddy, Peter Davison, Cherie Lunghi, Archie Barnes, Meado Nobrega, Rosie Ede, Gemma Jones.

Note:  Imdb 5.9 out of 10, Rotten Tomatoes 36% critic 60% audience, The Guardian 1* out of 5* Wendy Ide, movies4kids.co.uk 3* out of 5*, timeout.com 3* out of 5*, Amazon 4.4* out of 5* with 70 reviews, Common Sense Media age 6+ 2* out of 5* (3* positive, 1* role model, 1* sex, 1* language, 2* drinking, drugs, smoking.

Special Note:  Filmed in Chiswick, London; Richmond, Surrey; Windsor, Berkshire; High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.  Beattie Edmondson in the role of Sarah Francis is the real life daughter of Jennifer Saunders.  Jennifer is in this film as the character Maureen and Beattie’s father comedian and actor Adrian Edmondson also has a role.  In the restaurant, the vet Ed Skrein says he is late to meet Sarah because he lost track of time watching Game of Thrones?  Ed played Daario Naharis for 3 episodes of Game of Thrones and then his character was recast.  Jennifer Saunders is seen in the pub with a fairy type outfit.  She also has a wand she uses to count the glasses.  Jennifer voiced the fairy godmother in Shrek 2.