Sun Dogs 2 stars
Directed by Andrea Stewart
Sun Dogs is a documentary about the Jamaican dog-sled team (not to be confused with the Jamaican bobsled team from Cool Runnings). The film chronicles the early days of the Jimmy Buffett-sponsored team, from its recruitments at the local pound to its first serious competitions in Scotland. The film also shows us a sampling of the social and economic troubles in Jamaica. The problem is that the connection between these two sides of the story is tenuous at best.
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The Jamaican government is essentially bankrupt, and more college graduates leave the country than stay. What does this have to do with dog-sledding? Basically, the film is optimistically saying that these economic problems will ultimately be overcome by the Jamaican can-do spirit—best exemplified by Jamaica’s determination to train for winter sports where there is no snow.
It’s all an excuse to give us crowd-pleasing, freeze-frame close-ups of adorable canines. Unfortunately, due to a Jamaican law that doesn’t allow dogs to re-enter the country, the dogs we get to know don’t actually get to race. That leaves us rooting for the human “mushers” instead. But due to an unexpected scandal, there’s a cast change late in the film, making it hard to stay emotionally involved.