Marley & Me

Marley and Me

First of all, I want to apologize to anyone who is a really huge fan of this movie or of Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. Because I think they are two of the most annoying people in Hollywood and "Marley and Me" (yep...that's Marley, the rascal pulling at the leash) is an awful movie. It's based off a book and the theory is that books are usually better than their movie adaption, but come on! How interesting can a married couple and their dog and their kids getting into shenanigans possibly be? It's ridiculous to think that someone thought it was a good idea to turn the book into a movie. So we have Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play a newly married couple who are apparently very fertile because a couple kids do pop out during the 115 minutes. Dogs are always annoying in movies...always. There is no exception except maybe Lassie...but come on, Timmy needed a friend. All the emotions are so forced in the movie. Nothing at all is convincing...nothing. I didn't care about any of the main characters. The only part of the movie that wasn't awful was Alan Arkin. He is a great actor and extremely funny. Arkin got the best lines and his scenes were actually enjoyable. That's about all I have...except I gotta say I am ashamed of the director...he could have had a better follow-up to "The Devil Wears Prada" (which was actually a pretty good movie) of course I would have never watched it if not for Meryl Streep being in it, but that's just a technicality.

MARLEY & ME (2008)

BOTTOM LINE: “Marley & Me” has some expected cute comedy with its star dog and the family he lives with, but there is no story, no journey and no point to this movie other than providing a view of family life sugar-coated by Hollywood contrivances.

THE GOOD: A story about a man and his dog, and in particular a cute Labrador, is usually safe ground for a cute framework for the beloved canine to get up to mischief set against the backdrop of a regular family as they go through life. Essentially, that’s all “Marley & Me” is, and any dog and animal lovers will no doubt enjoy this film, particularly as the dog at the centre of the story, Marley, is from the outset established as the worst dog ever due to his disobedient nature. One particularly hilarious scene involves Marley winning out over a tough dog obedience instructor played quite brilliantly by Kathleen Turner as she tries to show her experienced superiority over dogs. A surprising aspect of this film is that although it is sugar-coated, there are still some sequences that you would not normally find in a film like this, starting with the sequences mid-way through where the otherwise happy couple go through the stresses of every marriage, a relationship aspect not usually touched upon in what is effectively a Hollywood romantic comedy. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson are actually quite good and suited as the journalistic couple Jennifer and John Grogan. Through their performances we see as earthly a portrayal of a real couple as you can get in a film like this, with Wilson in particular offering an unusually restrained performance that is thankfully devoid of his typical brand of comedy. The dog Marley is cute of course, and is in essence why the film exists as it is. The film deserves points for trying something different by not following a traditional plot, or any plot for that matter, and it does pass the time.

THE BAD: “Marley & Me” has no real story to speak of, no real plot developments, or a plot at all. The film is essentially chronicling the life of Jennifer and John Grogan, and how their mischievous dog Marley brings them and their subsequent family together, or almost drives them apart in a sequence or two. As such, individual moments are very relatable, but as a whole, the film does not gel together as anything specific. “What’s the point?” you may find yourself asking, aside from showing off the antics of a cute dog. Showing off married life is hardly anything new, but then this is still in many ways the Hollywood version of married life; none of the arguments are ever lasting or deal-breaking, with the couple always getting back together to live happily ever after. As a result, this portrayal of married and family life is knee-capped by the filmmakers’ unwillingness to either show more conflict or heighten the monotonous yet joyful reality that comes with marriage and family. And how odd it is for me to find myself discussing the motivations of a dog, but Marley’s progression from nuisance to matured is somewhat arbitrary. We suddenly start seeing sequences where Marley is acting more responsibly, whether it is helping out the kids or the couple in whatever they need to get done or problem to solve. A very specific scene or two showing the dog actually making that progression would have made for more satisfying viewing, given how central his character is to the humans in story. “Marley & Me” is nothing beyond a cute dog, the mischief he gets in to, set against a somewhat uninspired and sugar-coated portrayal of marriage and family life.

RATING: 5/10

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Todd Murphy <br />
http://www.allaboutmovies.net

Special Movie Review - Marley & Me

Many times, family-oriented movies tend to cater to just that audience, rather than having some sort of appealing quality to others older than the 12 and under age group. Going into Marley & Me, I felt like the film might have that same goal in mind - to create a movie that would harness a loving and caring, and ultimately lame, atmosphere. Instead, I found Marley & Me appealing to a broader age group than just that tween-and-under minority crowd.


Director David Frankel gives the audience a chance to recall their own past experiences with pets throughout the film, with most of it being the good memories of thrilling or emotional situations. Owen Wilson plays John Grogan, who is celebrating a new marriage to Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston). John and Jennifer move to sunny Florida, where John soon lands a job writing for a local paper. He struggles to find his place at the office while Jennifer succeeds, and after talking with his friend Sebastian (Eric Dane), decides that the next likely life choice that Jennifer would have in mind is having a baby. John's reaction isn't exactly thrilled, and so he decides to get Jennifer a puppy so she can keep her mind off of a child and have something else to take care of instead.

From here, the movie proceeds predictably enough. John changes his job as reporter to an amazing columnist who writes about the worst dog ever, the puppy Marley. Jennifer and John decide it's time to have a baby, even with the antics of the dog, and end up having a couple they didn't exactly plan on. John gets a job that requires him to move, and the family moves into a bigger home. Marley becomes older, and, inevitably, passes away.


What is most surprising about Marley & Me is the fact that the film has the ability to hold the audience's attention - to even be engaging - with a plot that has been done a number of times before and is, in fact, being lived out every day. In essence, the fact that the story in the movie is real, and is quite common in daily life, grabs the attention of the viewer. Owning a pet is a tradition in most family households, whether it be a cat, dog, or snake, and so Marley's presence is familiar territory for the audience, almost a rite of passage from single to married.


Both Wilson and Aniston are believable as lovers and as people in general. Their struggles are real and make sense; Aniston's first failure at pregnancy seems especially touching considering the fact that Marley has the ability to help Aniston's character cope with the loss. Marley & Me showcases a fact that has always been around but not put so poignantly as in the film - dogs, and collectively pets in general, are with us in all of our memories. It is impossible to fully seperate certain parts of our lives from our pets, because they naturally become an important love, a coping strategy for the bad times and a celebration for the happiness that they bring in the good times. The ending of the film accentuates this well, as **SPOILER WARNING** Marley is being put down, by conjoining the sadness of the moment with the happy memories that have come throughout the movie. On the one hand, we are extremely saddened by the fact that Marley is passing on, as we have come to know him so well throughout the movie. Yet the montage of clips that sum up John and Jennifer's lives with Marley are a celebration of the happiness and love that Marley had in his life. The fact that the movie goes into so much detail of Marley being put down is not exploitative or only there for the sake of getting the audience to cry; instead, it would be an insult not to give a moment to pay respects to a dog that we have devoted two hours of our lives to watching. **END SPOILERS**


The moving part of this ending, then, comes from both our involvement in Marley's life, but moreso from our own experiences with pets and death. In the end, we see ourselves in John and Jennifer's shoes, making the experience that much more sad. And yet we celebrate our own pets' lives that we have lost, for Marley & Me brings those memories back.

As for the dogs, they are beautiful and consistent in behavior. Wilson and Aniston do seem to have a sort of connection with the dog, displaying love and frustration during different times. Years pass quickly, although Wilson and Aniston barely seem older than when they first began their family.


At the end of the movie, the audience will be sobbing but still happy that they went through the experience. The film is a touching tale of the melding of lives, both human and dog, and how they soon become inseperable, as if the dog is a human being as well. Marley & Me makes a great point in its concluding monologue - dogs are better than humans, because their love is unconditional. They don't get pissed off if you're pissed off, they don't care if you smell bad or if you've got a giant pimple on your nose. They could care less if you've got foot fungus or a bad cold. All they want is your love, and to love you back - what more could you ask for? Marley & Me is a loving dog, for sure, but a difficult one to come back to. Intensity does play a part in its story, but it is an intensity with which one must handle in life - and it will be hard to hold back the tears.

Last updated: 2010-01-18 03:14:01 by user01

Marley & Me

This is an adaptation directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada). I’ve read the book and it moved me to tears. Unfortunately the movie doesn’t have the same impact.



Newlywed John and Jenny Grogan gets a cute little puppy, Marley, only to find out thet it grows up to be the world’s worst dog. However there’s more to this huge ball of destruction. Marley has become a companion to the Grogans as they encounter the good and bad times of building a family.

Ok, the few lines above doesn’t exactly do justice to what the movie is about but you get the idea. From what I read in the book, the heart of the story lies on Marley and how he becomes part of the Grogan family. However the movie focuses more on the family drama rather than the dog, making Marley seems like another one of the supporting roles. Furthermore, I don’t think Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston makes a good couple. They look more like siblings than husband and wife. There’s a part in the movie where John Grogann narrates what he wrote in his columns. So many details are condensed into the narration, it distracts the flow of the story.

There are some good points but overall, it’s just an ordinary film. There’s no particular scene which jumps at you. Then again, for that reason Marley & Me is a decent family drama.

If you hadn’t read the book, Marley & Me would do fine. Otherwise, the movie simply lacks of emotions.

Mel says: 6/10

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