Fluke

Too disturbing for most children, too suggestive of cornball kiddie fare for most adults, this oddly affecting film is unlikely to capture the audience it deserves. A yuppie (Matthew Modine) dies in an auto accident and is reincarnated as Fluke, a golden retriever; the animal (voiced by Modine) then slowly pieces together the facts of his former life and rediscovers his human identity. Although FLUKE is billed as a movie "for the whole family," it's really best for sentimental (but not unintelligent) adults -- scenes of animal torture in a testing lab will almost certainly upset kids. Directed by the Italian Carlo Carlei (FLIGHT OF THE INNOCENT).