Atreyu_II Forget your spiritual beliefs. Yes, this is an impossible and surreal story. So what? It's beautiful, sentimental, sad and depressing. "Fluke" isn't just a movie about man's best friend. It's one of the best of its kind. They don't make movies like this now. It's a touching, dramatic, deeply emotional, heartwarming and sweet movie. A magical touch has a role here too and it goes beyond the small number of special effects (which are effective).Very few movies are capable of making me teary eyed. This one, however, is powerful on that. There are many emotional scenes. I should bring a Kleenex with me whenever I watch this film.Despite the frequent use of simplicity, this movie can also count with the help of gorgeous sceneries: sunsets, rivers, waterfalls, green places, mountains, snow and other things.The soundtrack is a revelation and a masterpiece. It fits in perfection: soft, relaxing, emotional and beautiful piano melody. It's entirely instrumental, no vocals or singing.I've always loved this movie and I've always thought that Fluke is such a beautiful name. Plus, Comet is another beautiful name. Comet is the name of the brown Golden Retriever that portrays Fluke, while Barney is the name of the Saint Bernard-like dog that portrays Rumbo. Both of them terrific "actors" - especially the Retriever, very convincing and very expressive with his sad eyes and general acting. Golden Retrievers and Saint Bernards are among my favorite dog breeds. They're so beautiful and affectionate.As for the cast, we've got Nancy Travis as the pretty Carol in one of her best roles. We have Matthew Modine in a good performance as Tom, a workaholic. True, we don't see much of human Tom, but what we see is enough to realize that he was an emotionally distant workaholic. There is also Eric Stoltz (who was originally considered for the role of Marty McFly in "Back to the Future"), good as Jeff Newman. As the voice of Rumbo, we've got Samuel L. Jackson (not much of an actor, but his vocal performance is interesting). And finally, there is Max Pomeranc, who steals the show as Brian (the son of Tom and Carol). Max Pomeranc, besides being a cute and handsome boy, was also a brilliant actor. Too bad he didn't want to continue a career as an actor after this, his 2nd and last film.As for the characters, Rumbo is a cool quadruped chap. Fluke is so sweet and affectionate that we almost forget he was once Tom. Brian is such a loving and sweet kid, one of the nicest kids in the big screen. His love for Fluke is another close resemblance to the other doggy movies like this.As a final note and personal observation, it's sad that this movie did so poorly at the theaters and critically. It's one of those movies which were unfairly criticized... and is underrated either. One of the few things I don't like in this movie is the evil Sylvester character: very sinister-looking with his demon-like face and also a vicious man. This should definitely be on Top 250.

sol **SPOILERS** Losing control of his car computer executive Thomas Johnson, Matthew Modine, drives off the road hitting a tree killing himself. We don't exactly know what lead to Thomas' death but he was a the time of his accident involved in some kind of game of chicken with his partner, in the computer firm, and good friend Jeff Newman ,Eric Stoltz. Did Jeff purposely drive Thomas off the road?We then see a number of puppies nursing and one of them turns out to be Thomas now reborn as a dog who ends up being a homeless but lovable, aren't they all, street mutt. Avoiding dog catchers cars and people Thomas ends up being befriended and taken in by Bella, Collins Willcox Paxton, a sweet and homeless bag-lady who give the mutt a name "Fluke". Since Bella considers him to be a fluke of nature with his above average intelligence in being able to play and win money,for Bella and himself,at Three Card Monty.With Bella later passing away Fluke ends up back on the streets as a homeless dog. It's then when he runs into fellow mutt Rumbo who somehow can communicate with him telepathically. The two mutts become no only lifelong friends but even, at the end of the movie, friends from one lifetime to another.Sweet touching and in some ways tragic movie that has Fluke trying to find his family when he was Thomas Johnson and save them from his partner in his computer firm Jeff whom he feels was not only responsible for his death but is now a threat to them. As Fluke begins to remember his past as Thomas Johnson he starts to act more human then canine trying to rejoin his widowed wife Carol, Nancy Travis, and young son Brian, Max Pomerance. Wise old Rumbo tells Fluke something that will later dawn on him when he tragically finds out the real truth about the past that the left behind; a past that Fluke in his own and unrealistic way tried to change.Rumbo who's later shot and killed saving Fluke from being experimented with by this mad scientist prof. Santini, Federico Pacifici, and his hulking henchman Sylvester, Ron Perlman, tells Fulke just before he died that he also knows who he was in a previous life, a young Navy man, but left that in the past where it belonged hoping. Fluke would not do the same thing with his fixation on Carol and Brian as well as Jeff but to no avail. It was up to Fluke to find out the truth and in the end almost end up dead by doing it to see just how right his friend Rumbo was.Not really as sad as you would expect it to be "Fluke" in the end realizes that his past life, and those he knew in it, should be left alone and that him trying to change things will only make things worse. Fluke also begins to see, what he was too blinded to see as Thomas Johnson, that he really wasn't the nice and understanding person that he thought that he was as Thomas. Coming back as the family pet to Carol and Brian made Fluke the odd dog out as his vicious and predatory nature took hold of him. Every time he encountered Jeff, a family friend, he would turn on him to the point where he almost killed Jeff. Sadly Fluke found out that his suspicions of Jeff being responsible for his death, and trying to take over his company by marrying Carol, were all wrong.

garyeddie I am a male of 37yrs who first watched fluke a few years ago. Recently i purchased both the D.V.D,The Video and also the book. Every time i watch this film,i cry like a 5yr old kid!!!Its so bad that i have to watch it on my own, and its a running joke amongst my friends...as they know the state I'm in whilst watching it!! This film is at first just another shaggy-dog story, but if you read into its meaning, it really makes you wonder about living life to the full, appreciating what you have in life, and realising that there are no 2nd chances... The film begins after he dies in the crash, and from here on in...it just gets worse!! First, he has to say goodbye to his Doggy-mum,which cuts me up every time....then he sees his friend Bella,the tramp, die. But the WORST part is when his old friend dies by the lake,after being shot..God this film is a KILLER at times!!! At this point i sob like a baby!! Then when poor Fluke finally tracks down his old family,he comes to realise that they would be better off being left alone, and move on.... The scene by the Gravestone, when she realises just who Fluke is, as he scrapes away the snow to reveal his name, is one of the most moving pieces of film I've ever seen!! But at the VERY end, something nice happens...he meets his old friend again!!!! This film is just SOOOOOOO BRILLIANT!!!!Gary Edwards

sweet_puppybreath i loved this movie so much that at some points in the movie i started to cry cause it was so sad i would recommend this movie to dog lovers i liked this movie because it was my type of movie and i liked it and so did my grandma who bought the movie for me i was so happy to get it that i watched it the first day i got it and now i have seen it twice on TV and i have seen it like eight times at home i was so happy and so sad at times but then i remembered that it was only a movie and that nothing was real like the two car crashes and how tom died and came back as a dog and how Rumbo died and came back as a Squrriel and how Bella dies in the movie i think that the puppy at the end of the movie was Bella coming back to life again.