Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Cujo’

Written by Scott Edwards

There is something to be said for having a good pet these days, it really is awesome. Ever since I was a little one, I always had the joy of dog running around to help make sure I was never in trouble. At least that is what I told my parents when something broke, it was not me, it was the dog. Even though they knew who did it, they let me get away with many things and I have my dog to thank for it. Being my best friend growing up, I was sad to see him get older and pass on before his time, but there is always a bright spot when it comes to pets that loved you, you will see them again, one way or another and I am looking forward to it.
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Young Tad Trenton is having a hard time in his room these days as there is a monster hiding in his closet, but nobody will believe him. Even when he screams for help, his father Vic sees that the closet door has a latching issue but will not point that out when consoling his son. With a monster speech that he made up, Vic is able to get his son back to sleep, but Tad knows that there is something in the house that is trying to get him and moves all of his furniture in front of the closet door to keep him safe during the night. But in the daylight, Tad is not afraid of anything, with the exception of when his father will be home again to help keep the monsters at bay.

Donna Trenton has a life going on outside of the house and shacking up with local handy man Steve Kemp while her husband is away seems like a good idea. Not finding herself bored any longer, she still loves her family, but needs some excitement to keep a smile on her face and this seems to be it. But things are starting to fizzle in Donna’s mind as she starts to realize how important her family really is and calls off the affair. When she is not able to keep the secret away from Vic, things start to get real in Donna’s eyes and the excitement that she wanted has now turned into something that she never expected from her husband, resentment. When Vic is forced to leave home for a week to get his advertising campaign back on its feet, Donna understands how much she really needs him in her life.

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Taking her old Pinto to Joe Camber’s house to get fixed up, Donna and Tad see that there is nobody home and when they try to get out of the car, they see that Camber’s beloved dog Cujo is on a tear. Locking themselves inside of the car and waiting for the large Saint Bernard to go away, the two are without food or water and need to find a way to escape the rabid animal. But there is no escape as Cujo sits and waits for his next victim to stumble out and while being inside of the car is safe, Donna sees that her son is in need of water to keep him from going into fits. As the days pass, Cujo is not ready to give up his hunt, forcing Donna to try to get a leg up on the dog, but she finds out that she is no match for the beast and is forced to wait for help that may or may not be coming since her and Tad’s time is quickly running out.

This is one of those movies that you have to decide who the villain really is and I am still thinking that instead of an attacking dog, it is the mom. I don’t know why I feel this way, but the trouble in the house all came from her not being truthful about what she was doing and besides that, she liked to yell at her son for being afraid. With her issues coming to light, it even seemed like her son loved his father more than her and possibly for good reason. But Cujo did kill people and wanted to make a meal out of Donna and Tad making him the monster in the movie and even Steve turned a little crazy after Donna dumped him, so he could have been a monster as well. I feel bad for young Tad since all he wanted was a dog, but the only one he knew was trying to kill him, it probably scarred him for life knowing that such a majestic animal could change on a dime and attack anyone that got in its way. Stay Scared.

Five Takeaways

1. When your dog has a new scar on its nose, it might be worth taking them to the vet to have it checked out.
2. Yes or No questions always imply guilt.
3. Driving a Pinto is not a good thing, but they sure come in handy if you need a place to survive in an emergency.
4. Always call your auto shop for an appointment, even it is just to make sure someone is there.
5. No matter how hurt someone is, love always conquers all.

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