Warning: This review may contain spoilers. If you don't know how the movie or book ends, read at your own risk.
Based on the Bestselling memoir by John Grogan, "Marley and Me" is an emotional comedy drama that might have little to offer non-animal lovers. Despite deceptive trailers, it is not really a 'kid's' movie at all. This is a definite tearjerker, and will probably leave many adults in shambles by the end. Kids can watch it, it's just not a 'turn on the movie so mom can take a nap' kind of flick. It was mostly made for grownups, so if your five-year-old doesn't know the concept of death and starts asking "Where did Marley go?," don't blame me.
Celebrities Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston (of Rachel fame) play John and Jenny Grogan, respectively. As the story starts, they're a newly married couple living together. John is trying to get a job, and Jenny hopes to have children. After he gets into journalism, a friend recommends that he buy Jenny a pet dog, to ease her concern that that she is incapable of raising anything, including a plant.
So he drives Jenny to a dog breeder, without telling her firsthand his plan. There they are greeted by a litter of adorable Labrador Retriever puppies. She's delighted, and immediately sets out to pick one. One puppy stands out. It's on clearance, and is a great deal cheaper than the others. To save some money, the couple buys him. Yep, you guessed it. That's Marley. Shortly afterward, Jenny has to leave town so John looks after Marley, named by him from the famous musician.
From day one, Marley is a handful. The first night, he howls loudly from his bed in the garage until John lets him inside. While John goes to pick up Jenny, Marley tears apart the house. Despite his awful behavior, the two love him unconditionally and (dare I say it) spoil him rotten. Shortly afterward, Jenny gets pregnant but miscarries. To make his grieving wife feel better, John takes her on a trip to Scotland and leaves Marley in the care of an unsuspecting young woman. By the time they return, the practically hysterical dog sitter informs them that "That is not a dog. That is evil with a dog face."
Eventually, Jenny gets pregnant again and gives birth to a healthy baby boy. By their second living child, she starts to become overwhelmed by the pressure of caring for rwo small kids and a rambunctious dog. At that time, Jenny tells John to get rid of Marley, so he sends him to the friend's house until she calms down. The years go by, and Marley becomes less of a burden and more of a faithful (although perhaps not useful) member of the the household. As he stays by them and his muzzle grays, the viewer becomes aware that in movie dog years, he's getting old.
I'm a dog owner, and therefore that makes me me more fond of this film. People who don't like dogs are unlikely to find much in this two hour family saga. Don't get me wrong, the humans play an important role too, but most of the laughs (near the beginning) and tears (around the end) revolve around Marleys effect on the people around them. When the dog aspect comes to a halt, Alan Arkin provides comic relief as John's eccentric boss.
Okay- I cried- you might be a stone not to, but one aspect of "Marley and Me" irked me. Sure, a beloved old dog reaching the end of his life is many people's weak spot. The thing is, the director obviously knows that and plays it to the best of his abilities.The subject is enough to depress, but he seems to feel he needs to ham it up as much as possible. You can almost hear him in his studio, telling his crew to turn the melodramatic music up.
"You're not crying yet? How about I have the little boy play videos of young Marley while the dog breathes his last? Are you crying now? Huh? HUH?"
This would be unforgivable if the movie did not move audiences, but I'll admit that most of my family was practically in tears by the film's close. Although it feels like sort of a cheat, genuine emotion and decent acting went into this production, so I can only complain so much. I think it's great film for dog lovers and "chick flick" fans alike. Athough I doubt that 'chicks' will be the only ones moved by it (Rated PG.)
Based on the Bestselling memoir by John Grogan, "Marley and Me" is an emotional comedy drama that might have little to offer non-animal lovers. Despite deceptive trailers, it is not really a 'kid's' movie at all. This is a definite tearjerker, and will probably leave many adults in shambles by the end. Kids can watch it, it's just not a 'turn on the movie so mom can take a nap' kind of flick. It was mostly made for grownups, so if your five-year-old doesn't know the concept of death and starts asking "Where did Marley go?," don't blame me.
Celebrities Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston (of Rachel fame) play John and Jenny Grogan, respectively. As the story starts, they're a newly married couple living together. John is trying to get a job, and Jenny hopes to have children. After he gets into journalism, a friend recommends that he buy Jenny a pet dog, to ease her concern that that she is incapable of raising anything, including a plant.
So he drives Jenny to a dog breeder, without telling her firsthand his plan. There they are greeted by a litter of adorable Labrador Retriever puppies. She's delighted, and immediately sets out to pick one. One puppy stands out. It's on clearance, and is a great deal cheaper than the others. To save some money, the couple buys him. Yep, you guessed it. That's Marley. Shortly afterward, Jenny has to leave town so John looks after Marley, named by him from the famous musician.
From day one, Marley is a handful. The first night, he howls loudly from his bed in the garage until John lets him inside. While John goes to pick up Jenny, Marley tears apart the house. Despite his awful behavior, the two love him unconditionally and (dare I say it) spoil him rotten. Shortly afterward, Jenny gets pregnant but miscarries. To make his grieving wife feel better, John takes her on a trip to Scotland and leaves Marley in the care of an unsuspecting young woman. By the time they return, the practically hysterical dog sitter informs them that "That is not a dog. That is evil with a dog face."
Eventually, Jenny gets pregnant again and gives birth to a healthy baby boy. By their second living child, she starts to become overwhelmed by the pressure of caring for rwo small kids and a rambunctious dog. At that time, Jenny tells John to get rid of Marley, so he sends him to the friend's house until she calms down. The years go by, and Marley becomes less of a burden and more of a faithful (although perhaps not useful) member of the the household. As he stays by them and his muzzle grays, the viewer becomes aware that in movie dog years, he's getting old.
I'm a dog owner, and therefore that makes me me more fond of this film. People who don't like dogs are unlikely to find much in this two hour family saga. Don't get me wrong, the humans play an important role too, but most of the laughs (near the beginning) and tears (around the end) revolve around Marleys effect on the people around them. When the dog aspect comes to a halt, Alan Arkin provides comic relief as John's eccentric boss.
Okay- I cried- you might be a stone not to, but one aspect of "Marley and Me" irked me. Sure, a beloved old dog reaching the end of his life is many people's weak spot. The thing is, the director obviously knows that and plays it to the best of his abilities.The subject is enough to depress, but he seems to feel he needs to ham it up as much as possible. You can almost hear him in his studio, telling his crew to turn the melodramatic music up.
"You're not crying yet? How about I have the little boy play videos of young Marley while the dog breathes his last? Are you crying now? Huh? HUH?"
This would be unforgivable if the movie did not move audiences, but I'll admit that most of my family was practically in tears by the film's close. Although it feels like sort of a cheat, genuine emotion and decent acting went into this production, so I can only complain so much. I think it's great film for dog lovers and "chick flick" fans alike. Athough I doubt that 'chicks' will be the only ones moved by it (Rated PG.)
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