Marley and Me; Along With Some Laughs and a Lot Of Tears
Written: Jan 08 '09 (Updated Jan 09 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A fun film that's more than a slapstick dog. It's deals well with married life.
Cons: Too many sofas were injured and maimed in the making of this film.
The Bottom Line: I can recommend Marley and me for home viewing on DVD. It's fun and it has its serious moments. Be prepared to shed a tear or two.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Marley & Me |
This review does introduce some of the storyline without leading to spoilers.
My wife and I went to the movies today to see Marley and Me. She has been talking about it for a while noting that she read it was a good family film with the leads displaying a moral fiber we could relate too. She was right.
This film is an adaptation of John Grogan's Best Seller of the same name. The story chronicles about a dozen years in the life of John and Jennifer Grogan, played by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, from the time they were first married.
We follow the Grogan's as they first take a little pup lab into their home as a 'practice' for children. We immediately learn that he becomes "the worst dog in the world", as his owner often calls him. The dog doesn't listen to commands, tears apart everything in sight eats endlessly and leaves deposits everywhere. In short he performs the most outrageous antics at the most inopportune times. The dog is an all round nuisance. Still, he is loveable and his owners take to him dearly in spite of his unruliness.
In the film we also follow the Grogan's as they try to build careers and eventually start a family. Throughout each milestone of the family the dog is there and in most scenes somehow leaves his mark.
Along with the films many humorous moments focused on the dog, the director David Frankel, through the voice of John Grogan delivers darker scenes between the committed couple as they deal with life's strife of disappointment and loss, a serious intrusion into their neighborhood and job expectations and changes. That said this isn't a dark film in the least. It's one of that highlights the couples perseverance and compromise toward each other while also displaying hope for the future as they plan and live their lives.
pops Take
At first I thought this was going to be a film totally focused on an unruly but lovable dog. (Shaggy Dog IV.) I was pleased that film was much deeper than that.
The scenes with the dog were fun but after seeing five or six sofas eaten by the canine, it started to get a bit old and slow. Fortunately the film did move the camera's direction more toward the married couple and life issues.
These are many of the same problems and life experiences most married couples have. It was refreshing to follow the Grogan's as they worked together to make their marriage and ultimate family, work. Both Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston played their parts well and did have a chemistry that made it feel that they did indeed choose each other as mates. Ha, my wife told me to mention that she thought Owen Wilson as, "Disarming and charming"
Though the film does cover problems couples have in marriage there wasn't anything thrown in that was off colour. No affairs, no language, no abuse and so on. Though those are real life issues they wouldn't have a place in this sort of storybook kind of tale. It was refreshing to see a couple work their commitment to each other toward a satisfying ending.
In the film we meet Sabastian (Eric Dane) who is a good looking, gal attractin', traveling newspaper colleage of John's who is a counter to most everything in John Grogans life. His entry and exit in the film tells a bit of a story in itself. Though Dane was in the film perhaps five times at a minute or two each, he did add to the films focus and was a sort of barometer to John.
We also meet Arnie Klien the editor of the newspaper where John gets his first break. He was played in an understated way by Alan Arkin, to perfection. I always liked the guy going back to Wait Until Dark and Catch-22.
The story revolved around the Lab, Marley though. His joyful (and destructive) antics along with his family involvement leads to lots of belly laughs and a five tear film.
Though five tear I give this one four stars. It's a film that I'm happy I saw in the theater but I believe would have been equally effective at home on DVD. Get Marley and Me and laugh and cry.
Recommended:
Yes
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