Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Jen Maravegias | Film | November 12, 2026
It’s the time of year when my algorithms turn from spooky, scary skeletons to cheery Christmas drivel. Just kidding; my algorithms are always spooky. But the streamers have started releasing their holiday content, and Netflix is the first one out of the gate with A Dog’s Perfect Christmas.
Everyone who has ever owned a pet knows that a dog’s perfect Christmas involves a lot of table scraps and potentially ripping the seat out of the pants of whoever that fat guy is coming down the chimney late at night.
But W. Bruce Cameron, author of over two dozen books about life from the point of view of various dogs, has decided that Christmas is a complicated holiday for dogs. Or, at least it is for a basset hound named Winstead.
You may be familiar with A Dog’s Purpose, or Rebecca Pahle’s delightful review of the 2017 movie based on that book.
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is basically all of that, but make it merry. Fa la la la la la la la laaaaa.
Dennis Quaid stars as grumpy, disheveled widower Sander, who moved into his son’s (Milo Ventimiglia) and daughter-in-law’s home after his wife died. He’s miserable, he’s making everyone around him miserable, and he considers taking his own life. Winstead the dog (voiced by Thomas Hayden Church) talks him out of it by being adorable and needing a walk.
So he takes Winstead to a holiday market and meets a trio of appropriately aged single ladies who immediately clock him as a homeless person in a good coat. That’s how grumpy and disheveled-looking he is.
I’m pretty sure Karen LeBlanc is in this movie to fulfil a DEI quota because she maybe has two lines. Jennifer Tilly obviously got lost on her way to the set of whatever campy, fun, weird project she should be in. But Mary Steenburgen is exactly where she’s supposed to be, playing Quaid’s potential love interest who always has dog treats in her pockets. Steenburgen is always a delight. Someone give her better projects, please.
Milo Ventimiglia’s character, Hunter, faces a wicked-witch archetype at work who threatens his job unless he pulls off a miraculous office redesign. While his wife, played by Kathleen Rose Perkins (Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.), is dissatisfied with their marriage. And then she gets deathly ill, spending the rest of the film in a coma or recovering from a coma and unable to talk.
The dog and Dennis Quaid decide to step up, get Dennis a haircut, and start helping around the house. This is his granddaughter Ello’s (Brooke Lena Johnson) worst nightmare, but all of a sudden they find themselves getting along.
The magic of Christmas. Amirite?
Plot points happen; Ello is bullied at school by the popular girls:
(No, that Black actress doesn’t really have any lines either.)
Hunter’s boss has a son who is new at school. He and Ello fall in love because he’s kind, good-looking, and plays hockey.
Dennis Quaid’s grandsons are mischief makers. They find a puppy and name her Ruby. Mary Steenburgen’s character falls in love with Dennis Quaid’s character, and Winstead continues to enjoy her pockets full of treats. The wife recovers just in time for Christmas, and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.
There’s not a lot of Christmas in this Christmas movie. There’s a scene where they struggle to put up Christmas lights, and an offhand remark about how bad five-year-olds are at decorating trees. Oh, it’s also the wife’s favorite holiday. But she’s in a coma soooo… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas lacks substance and heart. Even Dennis Quaid is phoning it in. And he can’t afford to phone it in anymore. He doesn’t get enough work to do that. Be better, Dennis. You are not even worthy of Mary Steenburgen’s attention in this movie.
But the dogs are good! The dogs are adorable. There should have been more of them. If you’re going to make a movie about dogs and Christmas, it should have the maximum allowable number of dogs in it. And that number should be based on Minecraft standards, so sixteen. There should be sixteen dogs in any movie about dogs and Christmas. This one only has two. But they are played by multiple dogs. Baby Winstead was played by Rufus. Grown-up Winstead was played by two dogs named Candy and Jenkins. Ruby was played by triplets Harry, William, and Charles. Bravo to them! Treats all around!
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas is streaming on Netflix. Instead of watching it, tell your dog I said hi and give them all good scritches. (Please don’t tell my cats I said that.)
