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Great movie!

This movie surprised me as well, but I enjoyed every minute of it. A very orginal storyline and a great telling about how we see things and a lot of times, don't see them. Personally, I thought the ending with his friend was corny, just didn't sit right with the rest, but I did enjoy it all the same. Fluke is played by the same dog of Full House, Comet...Why they HAD to dye him, I don't know. Couldn't they just have gotten an Irish Setter if they were so big on his color?

Life, Death and a Ginger coloured puppy

I recently watch this movie on Television, and I thought it was superb. The puppyhood of Fluke, particulary with Bella was espicially touching.

I thought that the conclusion to the film summed it up very well, but I found his overall violent behavior sort of disturbing.

My favourite scene was When Rumbo the dog returns as a squirrel and throws acorns at Fluke.

In the end, great movie. Loved it! ^-^

What if?

I am a sucker for dog movies. This one is no exception for being a tear-jerker. I will admit, being a guy, I did shed a tear. I think this movie has originality and will definitely be one to remember. The acting was good by both human and canine.Although a little unbelievable, dogs are intelligent creatures and when I look into my dogs eyes, I always wonder what they're thinking.(Hmmmm?)Anyway, I went off on a tangent. You must see this movie.

No Fluke Here

A great movie for the young or young at heart with an imagination. If you have ever had a dog or cat that you thought talked to you, this is the movie you have been looking for. And to top it off a good ending with a good lesson for all. This is one you can watch over and over.

Not just a "Fluke"

I remember this movie was out in theaters for what seemed to be a short time. The trailer made the movie look like it was simply a movie for children about a man who died and came back as a dog and found his way home. I wasn't really interested. One day I was watching TV and I caught the movie almost near the end - I was captivated. And I realized the movie was about way more than simply a lost puppy. This movie is something that you won't expect - it leaves you thinking one thing until the end. (Much like a Sixth Sense fashion). "Fluke" begins with a man named Tom. We only see glimpses of Tom and another man driving on the road, and suddenly he swerves out of the way of a truck and is killed. The next scene we see is an ADORABLE puppy - Tom was reborn as the puppy! The movie follows the puppy through the beginnings of life (and although some parts of the movie are a bit cheesey- the animal acting is magnificant.. especially Comet aka Fluke's performance.. near the end he fakes a limp.. and I was so impressed.. I think the animal actors did better than the actor that played Tom's son!) The puppy grows up and keeps having flashes of his life before, of his wedding as a man, his wife, his son. So Fluke, as he's called - decides to find his long lost family. He meets a lot of friends along the way - such as Rombo a lovable dog that teaches him the ropes. There are some sad parts in the movie, but once you see the end it all makes sense. Fluke (aka Tom) comes to realize once he finds his family that he didn't have time for so many things as a man - time to be with his family. And again, the ending is a bit of a surprise.. and it really made me think. I thought this movie was simply for kids, it isn't! I don't know if I did a fantastic job of explaining the movie without giving anything away - but as Tom/Fluke states in the beginning- for a moment put away everything you believe in and listen to his story.

Like my personal experience

Fluke is a family movie whom someone couldn't give so much credit.In my opinion it's great. I always loved pets and non-domestic animals so I can truly believe they've got a soul.In the movie, a young child loses his father, but for magic his soul transmigrates in a dog. With some clues, Fluke the dog will be accepted as the reincarnation of the dear daddy.I've lost my father at the age of 3. Sometimes is very hard think of it but I've got a special feeling with my cat. She's with me since 11 years (now I'm 26), I can see in her eyes a true spirit, like an angel standing by.With the help of this movie I've raised the conviction that animals should be guiding souls of exhaled dears for us.Yes, I still believe, though my "old" age, in such romantic things.----- My vote: 8 1/2 -----

The value of hearts

This is, without exaggeration, one of the most touching films I have ever seen. Few have heard of it, but Fluke possesses a depth and innocence more moving than Titanic or A.I. I would recommend this to anyone, though I do suggest you be ready to cry.

The dog's a great actor, but the movie's a waste of time.

Was this supposed to be a two-hankie family film, or a violent drama? The writers and producers apparently couldn't make up their minds. The cute "Milo & Otis" tone of early scenes yields to turgid, slow melodrama, a disturbing personality change in the dog, scenes of violence, and an extremely disappointing, sad ending. The photography, the music, all details including the acting -- specially by the dog or dogs in the title role -- were fine. I'll blame the writer. I regret having spent two hours of my life waiting for this movie, as shown on the Animal Planet cable channel, to reach its disappointing, sad ending. May I offer a suggestion? For a much more entertaining canine reincarnation tale, look for "Oh, Heavenly Dog," in which private eye Chevy Chase comes back to Earth as Benji. O.K., it has some violence, too, but it's lots more fun, and the filmmakers aren't trying to sucker tears out of the audience.

THE ULTIMATE DOG SHOW

FLUKE is a great movie, and it's because of Comet, the wonderfully talented canine who plays the title role. Never has an animal performed with such emotion as Comet does in this tear-jerker, yet satisfying movie. The human stars take back seats to both Fluke and Rombo (wonderfully voiced by the ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson). Nancy Travis had the glowing warmth and beauty needed to convey the hopelessness Fluke must feel in realizing he can't have his life back. Based on a novel by spook writer James Herbert, the script pulls a real doozy on you at the end, and it's finale in the cemetery is poignantly touching. Without using the techniques in BABE (Which were fine for that movie), FLUKE captures your heart by showing you the love a dog can bring into a life, especially when it's been reincarnated. A wonderful film, let your kids watch it, and discuss it with them. It's life to have loss. But the gain is always around the corner. Well done, guys!

well-crafted screenplay, good acting, genius director

At first, I thought I was watching one of those mainstream movies that tend to make fun by putting animals in situations that abuse their sincere natures. But, there was something different with this film, something "serious" that from time to time penetrated the "oh, you nice doggieee" approach. Despite all the fun and the spirituality, the story was "convincing" and almost "believeable". The second half, especially the final 20 minutes, were more surprising that anything I'd expect to see. I will not tell the surprise of the film in order not to take the excitement away from people who will watch it, and I also advise them not to read some other comments here that don't do the favor. This is a GOOOOD family film with a well-crafted screenplay, and I believe it will in the future be noted as an unusual combination of at least three genres(one of which is suspense). Watch it! Take it seriously!

Cherish life no matter what form its in-Fluke

Fluke, the warm and fuzzy star of the show does a fantastic job of gripping your heart, reeling you in, and telling the story.

The movie starts with a somewhat confusing sequence involving a car chase. If you're not paying attention when you start this film, you may need to skip back in order to pick up a few telling details. For the most part this opening act isn't fully explained until the end of the film. This adds some mystery and intrigue, but get ready for a bit of a surprise.

In the movie, you'll follow young Fluke from the birth canal (literally) through his young life. It isn't long and he begins to "remember" things. This leads him back to the family he was prematurely ripped away from. You see Fluke was once a man! He had a beautiful family and he wants to be with them once again.

The movie is not overly complicated at first glance, but by the end my nine year old was quite confused. When it was over he was mostly satisfied that there were lots of cute, lovable animals to watch. The older kids liked the movie but found it to be "sad" or a little "unsettling".

There is a clear and overt attempt to support reincarnation throughout the movie. Several of the movie's characters are reincarnated and one more than once. Although we would completely disagree with reincarnation and its denial of eternal reward or punishment, it offered our family an opportunity to discuss the belief that some folks have about reincarnation.

This movie offers many topics you may want to discuss with kids. Animal laboratory research and homelessness are topics that make their way onto your television screen. Death is also prevalent throughout this show as at least two people and one animal perish.

Overall, this is a well made film that can help you approach a philosophy believed by many. Watch it together and support your beliefs as you discuss the movie's ideals and themes. Of all the places you want your children to discover controversial and provocative ideas, wherever you are is a good place.

Got Much More Than I Bargained For

To someone picking up this little flick without bothering to go into it a bit more, you are probably expecting some Disney-like movie (Just look at the box cover) and the premise even suggest it: A man is reincarnated as a dog and goes on a search to find his family. Boy, was I surprised. Not only is the dog trying to find his family, he's out for revenge against the man who put him in the situation in the first place. Full of mature themes and gripping moments, this is one of those rare movies that will definitely make you think and- as stated by everyone else here- shed a few tears.We follow Fluke from puppyhood to adulthood as he starts trying desperately to find out who he once was. After putting 2 and 2 together, Fluke does indeed set out on a journey to find his wife and son, much to the dismay of his ill-fated friend Rumbo, a dog who was also human. When Fluke finds them, he's living the good life- that is, until his crooked business partner comes in and crashes the party. Fluke is determined to make sure he won't do any harm to his family as he did to him. But is Fluke going by truth, or what he wants to believe?... The main thing about this movie that hit me at first was the music. The beautiful orchestra soundtrack accompanied this film perfectly. There were a few times I watched the credits simply to hear the music. And of course, what's good music without good filmography to go with it? This movie has that too. Some of the most bright, natural filming can be seen with the dog as he braves mountains and rivers on his long journey, or during the more peaceful moments as he plays with his family out in the sunshine. All in all, the filming and soundtrack itself is definitely a step up from a few of the more well-known animal movies, like Homeward Bound for instance.The story itself is very unpredictable, another thing I was not expecting from a movie such as this. Fluke's acts and visions will keep you watching to find out the real story behind his past. But while he's fending away his partner, he's trying to convince his family that he's more than just some old dog. Many of these scenes had me stop the movie just to pull myself together, such as when he did his "fatherly" duties of tucking his son in and laying on his side of the bed during the night. Acting in the movie ranges from good to alright. It's not the best acting in the world, but the humans weren't the ones I paid attention to and even then, the dogs still had the best lines and voicing, despite the fact that they talked only for a short while. The little boy had to be the most irritating of all though, especially in scenes when he was distressed in any way. I also feel the lab scene could have been executed a bit better. That scene seemed to pass by too quickly or just put in the middle of the movie with no purpose, but it did help explain a major event, so I can't complain.In conclusion: Fluke is a timeless gem and a very impressive attempt at a family drama from such an unknown director. The filmography, score, and plot itself made this movie one of best animal-oriented movies of the last century. Only the acting from the humans and a few of the sometimes out-of-place scenes hurt the movie just a tad, but not enough to stop me from giving this underrated movie the recommendation it truly deserves.

Magical, yet convincing at times, Tear jerker,

When I first saw Fluke I was living overseas in Rome, Italy, so I had to watch the movie in Italian (now even though I was born there, I was like 5 so I had no idea what they were saying, wasn't fluent in the language yet). I remember only paying attention to the animals, especially the dogs, and the things he was doing. A couple years later (once back in america), I was browsing through a rack in a video store and I came across Fluke. I rented it again with no hesitation to see what the story line was really about. It was the saddest, but most wonderful movie I had ever seen...again. The story line was great and well put together. It was also very creative and not like every other movie one might see. I reccommend this movie to anyone and everyone! Dog lovers, squirrel lovers, monkey lovers, or just anyone who likes a good movie!

A heart warming story

According to the Vedic literature of India, people are not always reincarnated as human beings. Depending on their karma, some are promoted to higher forms beyond our present experience and others are degraded to lower species. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "When one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom." Dramatizing this point of ancient doctrine, Fluke is about a man who is killed in an auto accident and returns as a dog to protect his wife and young son and to learn some important lessons. Based on a novel by James Herbert, a British writer known for his work in the horror genre, the film is directed by Carlo Carlei, an Italian director whose first feature, The Flight of the Innocents received considerable praise.In Fluke, Thomas Johnson (Matthew Modine) and Jeff Newman (Eric Stolz) are business partners who have had a falling out. After Newman takes off after an argument, Johnson chases after him in his car but is run off the highway by an oncoming truck and has a fatal accident. The film then moves to an urban alley where an older dog is nursing her newborn pups until she is hauled away by animal control officers and taken to the pound. Left to fend for himself, the small pup hooks up with Bella (Collin Wilcox Paxton), a homeless woman who names him "Fluke" because he is always able to figure out where the stone is in a shell game that brings in some money for the unlikely pair.Shot in cuts with both real and animatronic dogs, Fluke, now a fully-grown Golden Retriever, meets a street-wise St. Bernard named Rumbo who communicates telepathically with him in the voice of Samuel L. Jackson and teaches him the ways of the world. After some misadventures in an auto junkyard and an escape from a cosmetic research laboratory that experiments with animals, Fluke remembers the family he left behind when he was a man and manages to find his way back to his former wife Carol (Nancy Travis) and son Brian (Man Pomeranc) in the town of Hopewell. Realizing that when he was a man, he never had enough time to be with his son, Fluke makes up for his past failures and the scenes showing him playing with Brian are quite moving.Fluke decides that his mission is to protect his wife from Newman, his old business partner, whom he thinks is out to do her harm. While the animals' acting ability appear to be mystifying, in reality they were very well trained to respond to verbal and physical commands and were rewarded with food, never mistreated. Max Pomeranc, the adorable chess player from Searching for Bobby Fischer, turns in an outstanding performance as young Brian Johnson but unfortunately it is wasted in a film that was undone by dismal reviews from film critics, who called it "morbid", "bizarre", and "a booby trap for fuzzy-animal lovers and kids", all the things that it is not.The same critics also thought the idea of reincarnation might be too "deep" for children and the film consequently bombed at the box office, an occurrence that many think caused Pomeranc to abandon a promising film career. While not overlooking its many clichéd moments, Fluke deserved a better fate. It is a heart warming story that may just encourage children to think about some things they will never hear about in church or in school.

One of the best ever

Absolutely one of the best movies I have ever seen. I saw it first in 1995 on video, I believe. Never saw it or heard of it on the big screen. Anyway, it's proof positive that a great directorial job, with actors (human and animal) who believe in a story about real human failings, lightheartedness and heroics can turn a pretty good screenplay with wonderfully charming dogs into one with a real impact on your life. I had to see it again a couple of years later just to make sure it was as good as I thought. It deals with real suffering (including death, revenge, and anger) and then redemption. Don't look for the classic happy ending, but an ending which is consistent with the themes in the movie and is very satisfying, after a little thought. The movie completely pulls you in (without your realizing it) and works its magic on your mind. But, don't expect it to be powerful though you will notice tears forming frequently throughout the movie, often unexplained at first. "Fluke" also seemed to leave me a little wiser and more understanding and compassionate toward my family, especially. I sort of got it the next day! And, you will love "Fluke", the dog! The movie is about a dog, but it's really about so much more. Even though the dog scenes are great, the subject matter at times is rather charged and there is violence and death (human and animal), so please be prepared to talk about it with your kids if they watch it with you.

FLUKE

This is a great movie! It'll rip at your heart and make you cry. Once you see this movie, your heart will go out to Fluke, a Chocolate Labrador mix. Fluke really starts out as a man with a family. But when a car wreck kills him, he returns as a dog (Fluke). Through his whole puppyhood, he has flash backs of his human past. A homeless woman takes him in. He later teams up with a Saint Bernard-looking dog named Rumbo. When Fluke tells Rumbo of his intentions, they split up. his a So, he decides to set out in search of his past, to find his family. I do agree with some of the other reveiws. It's not for little kids. 2 people die, a dog dies, there is a labratory that cruel does test on animals, and there are 2 bloody car wrecks. I suggest it is for kids ages 10 and up. Unless you think your kid can handle blood and death. But if you're old enough to understand it and know it's just a movie then it's worth the money. This movie has laughs and tears instore for anyone that watches it. Fluke is played by Comet from T.V's Full House and Rumbo is played by Barney who was also in Homeward Bound 2 as Riley.

*sob* How touching!

A very nice movie. The fact that the main star is a dog DOES NOT make it a kids movie, just like "Bad Moon" isn't. But while Bad Moon is a horror movie starring a dog, this is a drama starring a dog.Very touching and very sad and doesn't follow your usual cliches for such movies. I don't cry in movies (though I really really try!), but some movie make me almost cry and this is one of them!

Cute movie...better for older kids.

This movie is cute for my 8 year old but it's not really one she wants to watch over and over in our van for long trips. It has some sad parts and the story line is too heavy for my 2 year old to stay interested. It's very cute and enjoyable but is more a one time movie in our opinion. I'm still glad to own it.

Even grown-up men do cry!

Well, I usually do not weep watching a movie, but this dog Fluke made me shed tears from beginning to the (somewhat bitter) end. The story is completely unbelievable, so what!, but very funny all the way. Can't understand what those people's hearts are made of that do not like a story like this. I'd rather watch Fluke ten times than Rambo once!

Not your average dog movie.

I was shocked when I saw this movie; it was not what I expected. I thought I'd hate it, but I trusted Eric Stoltz's integrity with chosing projects so I watched it. The movie was remarkable and the script was very well done. Clever use of a dog to get the viewer to sympathize with the bad guy.