Max

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2:25

Max

PG

Released Jun 26, 2015

1h 51m

Drama

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

37%

Tomatometer

98 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

After U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott is killed in Afghanistan, Max, his highly trained service dog, is too traumatized to remain in service. Back in the U.S., Kyle's family adopts the dog, but teenage brother Justin (Josh Wiggins) has problems of his own and doesn't want the animal. However, Max may be Justin's only chance to learn what really happened to his brother. With the help of a dog-savvy friend, Justin and Max begin to bond, and set out to unravel the mystery of Kyle's death.

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Critics Consensus

Max has good intentions and tries to hearken back to classic family-friendly features, but its disjointed, manipulative plot overwhelms the efforts of its talented human and canine stars.

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Max Weiss

Baltimore Magazine

How a sweet story about a boy and his dog turns into a lame thriller about backwoods weapons dealing is anyone's guess.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 10, 2016

Full Review

Alex Abad-Santos

Vox

Lost in this shuffle of bullets and narrow misses is Yakin's stated goal of telling a story about the great service that military dogs provide... I'm not sure where that film went, but the bizarre, violent mess I saw isn't it.

Rated: 1/5

Dec 17, 2015

Full Review

Jonathan Romney

Observer (UK)

A watchable but predictable family film drenched in stars-and-stripes piety - Lassie Come Home with combat stress.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 9, 2015

Full Review

Hosea Rupprecht

Pauline Media Studies

There's a little more violence than your usual early teen flick but it still stays within the realm of family-friendly film.

Sep 13, 2021

Full Review

Richard Crouse

Richard Crouse

Feels like a direct-to-DVD movie that somehow escaped the pound and made it's way to theatres.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 3, 2021

Full Review

Dan Scully

Cinema76

Max is cynical, joyless, and filled with surprising violence.

Apr 9, 2020

Full Review

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Dennis M

This was a great heart-felt, action film that did its job well. It is a great tribute to service dogs throughout the years. Critics did this movie dirty. I’m glad I ignored as per usual.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/25

Full Review

Chris M

Max will probably will give him more PTSD because Kyle’s family is awful. Nothing says family movie like a story about a war that we never should have started and a dog with sever mental disorder like PTSD. You know, for kids. I know we should hide death from kids but this isn’t preparing kids for death and tragedy. This is throwing them into the concepts like throwing them into the deep end of the swimming pool with a cement life vest. Yet, this gets a PG rating? At the time of writing this review the rating system is still a sick joke. As little kids need to stay away from this movie even with parents.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/15/24

Full Review

Genesis 1

Excellent heartfelt family friendly movie for pets..too..action packed .. humorous with a decent ending and doesn't run to long

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/24

Full Review

Ryan B

cute dog, bad movie. the writing and the acting was terrible.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/23/24

Full Review

Lady L

Movie started out with a good premise. Then it became horrifyingly corny and cringy. From the "young brother" being all emo to awkwardly caring about the dog was very rushed. The mom was very corny, cringy and naive. It had potential, but the awkward, corny actors and lines ruined the entire movie.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I love this film. The way that it sets up max and justin as a true team even more then justins brother was with max. The foreshadowing with the main villain was interesting but really good all the actors are on point and overall just an amazing film

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

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Boaz Yakin

Director

Josh Wiggins

Justin

Lauren Graham

Pamela

Thomas Haden Church

Ray

Robbie Amell

Kyle

Luke Kleintank

Tyler

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Max: Trailer 1

2:25

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Synopsis

After U.S. Marine Kyle Wincott is killed in Afghanistan, Max, his highly trained service dog, is too traumatized to remain in service. Back in the U.S., Kyle's family adopts the dog, but teenage brother Justin (Josh Wiggins) has problems of his own and doesn't want the animal. However, Max may be Justin's only chance to learn what really happened to his brother. With the help of a dog-savvy friend, Justin and Max begin to bond, and set out to unravel the mystery of Kyle's death.

Director: Boaz Yakin
Producer: Karen Rosenfelt, Ken Blancato
Screenwriter: Boaz Yakin, Sheldon Lettich
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Sunswept Entertainment
Rating: PG (Brief Language|Action/Violence|Peril|Some Thematic Elements)
Genre: Drama, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 26, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 28, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $42.7M
Runtime: 1h 51m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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