My New Best Friend

Cooper Brawn (James Denton) is a carefree K-9 cop who still cares for his ex-fiancé Samantha Phillips (Laura Mennell) despite breaking up due to his lack of responsible life planning. Little girl Polka-dot is new in town and trying to find work. Cooper reluctantly pays out of his own pocket for her to take care of an old bloodhound. She lives with her sick mother who are on the run from her abusive father. When her mother is hospitalized, she keeps various secrets to stay out of social services following in the footsteps of her literary hero, Huckleberry Finn.

Wow, that was sad. I was expecting a kid's movie and this is dealing with a serious issue. The light background music fits more of a light-hearted kiddie movie. There is one moment when I couldn't figure out what Polka-dot is doing when the paramedics arrive. It's a short moment of confusion which could have been alleviated with Polka-dot having an inner voice. It could explain what she's planning at the time. As for the ending, some of it gets dragged out. It already packs a big punch and it needs to land that punch more effectively.