Review Roundup: Thomas Haden Church, Lauren Graham Star in MAX

Thomas Haden Church stars in the new family-adventure MAX. MAX follows the story of a military dog that served in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines. Max returns to the U.S. and is adopted by his handler's family after suffering a traumatic experience.

MAX was directed by Boaz Yakin who co-wrote the film with Sheldon Lettich. The film stars Thomas Haden Church, Josh Wiggins, Luke Kleintank, Lauren Graham, Robbie Amell, and Mia Xitlali.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

A.O. Scott, New York Times: As the intrepid kids and the fearless hound unravel a nefarious weapons-dealing scheme, "Max" finds its sweet spot, leaving behind its overwrought patriotic swagger and settling into the kind of story that would fill a decent hour of television. (Max, Justin, Carmen and Chuy could probably sustain a season or two as a crime-fighting team on a network or basic-cable series.) The violence that concludes their sleuthing is a bit jarring in such a carefully kid-friendly entertainment. Mr. Yakin opts for bullets, explosions and blood vengeance when handcuffs and perp walks would do the job. Not that "Max" has any clear or coherent sense of mission. Max, on the other hand, does, and his virtues might make you wish the movie were good enough to deserve him.

Geoff Berkshire, Variety: As far as canine hero stories go, "Max" is a strangely mixed breed. A hodgepodge of corny coming-of-ager, inspirational boy-and-his-pup pablum, modern-day military tale and surprisingly violent PG-rated action thriller, it's an all-around odd choice to release up against the big dogs of summer. Even if Warner Bros. hopes some of that "American Sniper" B.O. magic rubs off on a film ostensibly about a pooch overcoming PTSD ("American Sniffer"?), woe be to the family-targeted movie competing with the likes of "Inside Out" and "Jurassic World." Expect a bigger bite in ancillary.

Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian: "We thought we were training Max? Maybe Max was training us!" Okay, so the movie doesn't actually say this, but there are other, just-as-bad howlers as the Wincott family of Texas adjusts to the death of their eldest son in Afghanistan. In addition to his foot locker, THE FAMILY receives the pooch that he trained and worked with as a Marine, and, without question, it is touching to see the four-legged friend whimper at his fallen master's flag-covered coffin. But the story quickly pivots from a look at grief in a time of endless and amorphous war to a PG-rated actioneer looking to take down arms dealers.

Lou Lumenick, New York Post: This summer's second cinematic Max is less mad than traumatized. He's a heroic demobilized military dog in this overlong, overviolent adventure that amounts to one part "American Sniper" for children and two parts "Courage of Lassie" (1946) updated to the 21st century.

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: "Max" is a clunky flag-waver that fails its major missions. It's not a successful tear-jerker about an angry dog rehabilitated. It's not a GOOD KIDS flick, since the level of violence - off the battlefield - is excessive. (In the desert, that violence is serious but morally sure.) And the movie's fatally distracted by its B-movie villains. THE DOG himself is a Rin Tin Tin-type who has only two personality traits - angry and loyal. He won't be joining the pantheon of famous movie hero pooches, no matter how many gorges he jumps across or growly mastiffs he fends off. Graham simply frets and frowns, and Haden Church dials down any charm to play a GOP dream demographic.

Jason Clark, Entertainment Weekly: Here you will find no truly honest emotions, just trumped-up movie ones-Trevor Rabin's bleating, overbearing score never lets you forget it-and the saddest part is how the filmmakers assume that the innate love for our furry friends will automatically distract from the fact that it is an unredeeming, routine thriller. There's just no delicate way to put it: Max is a real dog.

Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter: The tale of a war-traumatized military working dog, or MWD, who helps a teen boy and his family overcome their own war-related grief, Max puts a YA slant on an intriguing setup. But the screenplay muddles its emotional core with a clunky cross between old-fashioned Hardy Boys mystery and a far-fetched weapons-trafficking subplot. Families who have already seen INSIDE OUT might be enticed, along with moviegoers who are eager to root for a heroic hound and are not put off by the military angle.

Roger Moore, The News Tribune: All the eye-rolling melodramatics may be crowd-pleasing, but it lengthens and clutters up the film. The script, co-written by combat vet turned hack screenwriter Sheldon Lettich ("Lionheart," "Legionnaire," "Rambo III"), shoehorns in promising ideas like Justin's dad's intolerance and how "war hero" is sometimes an overstatement. And the film wraps itself in the flag like a lazy country music song. But the heart of "Max" is a boy growing up and learning to understand an always faithful dog. As sentimental and manipulative as their bonding moments are, they make "Max" work. You don't have to speak Latin to know a darned good dog, and a passable dog movie, when you see one.

Valcy Etienne, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: In short, "Max" is a story about changing family dynamics, finding yourself after loss, and learning how to grow up - which parents will appreciate both for their children and for themselves as they remember what it's like to be young again.

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, A.V. Club: Like some toxic-sludge mutant grown in the racks of a mom-and-pop video store, Max crosses alarmist plotting with canine hijinks and hamfisted family drama that would feel at home in the era of the white clamshell VHS case. It is dull and weird-weird in that way that it is pronounced we-ee-eird, the stretched vowel signaling a weirdness that is probably unconscious on the part of the filmmakers.

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