Rescued by Ruby

Directed by Katt Shea, Rescued by Ruby follows a Rhode Island state trooper (Grant Gustin’s Daniel O’Neil) as he attempts to secure a place within his department’s elite K-9 unit for himself and his rambunctious dog. Filmmaker Shea, armed with Karen Janszen’s screenplay, delivers a generic and mostly underwhelming endeavor that’s rarely, if ever, as compelling as one might’ve anticipated, and it’s clear, certainly, that the picture’s arms-length atmosphere is compounded by Shea’s relentlessly bland approach to Janszen’s paint-by-numbers script – with the styleless visuals and reliance on overly-familiar plot elements perpetuating the less-than-enthralling vibe. And while Gustin’s personable efforts admittedly buoy the viewer’s interest from time to time, Rescued by Ruby, which builds towards a satisfying climax (albeit one that’s not nearly as emotionally-resonant as Shea has intended), predominantly comes off as a would-be heartwarmer of a drama that could’ve used just a little more bite (or any bite, really).

** out of ****