Marley & Me (B- or 3/4 stars)
As newlyweds, John & Jenny Grogan (Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston) move from Michigan to South Florida with semi-promising careers prospects. Not ready for kids just yet, they decide to bring home a small, yellow Labrador puppy to their humble abode. Little did they know that they'd learn some very important life lessons from their adorable, but rambunctious dog. 'Marley & Me', directed by David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada), is based upon the best-selling memoirs from the actual John Grogan. Keeping with the apparent honesty from those memoirs, this movie is moving, funny, & honest. I wouldn't call the film 'brilliant' or 'groundbreaking'. But it's a nice, comfortable story, well acted, often manipulative (prepare yourself), & sure to make tears stream down your face.
Though the title character is Marley the dog, this is more the story of the growth & development of a young family. Marley is included in that family; and is at the epicenter of many of the decisions John & Jenny make throughout the course of their marriage. Pets are great, but they can also be a handful. And nowhere is this more evident than by Marley's youthful behavior. Purchased as a discount puppy by John for Jenny as a birthday gift, they soon realize that they have quite the situation on their hands. He fails obedience school (nice to see Kathleen Turner in this segment). He trashes their house; runs after people at the beach; jumps out of moving cars, the list goes on & on. Still, John & Jenny love him as one of their own; easy to forgive his many naughty antics.
Years go by. John & Jenny are conflicted as to where to go next (with their careers). But before long, Jenny starts popping out some kids. With an ever expanding household, John & Jenny start to see that 'with children' ... life gets very complicated. John is frustrated with his job. Jenny is tired from chasing kids & Marley. She is woeful about abandoning her career. Mid-life crises arise for both characters. And some big decisions have to be made involving Marley, & the livelihood of their entire family. Rather than give up, they persevere; turning bad situations into good ones. And the rest of the true story plays out as one would assume. PLEASE bring many tissues with you to the theater. I implore you.
One of the biggest appeals of 'Marley & Me' is it's ordinariness. It is both realistic & relatable. John & Jenny could be us. So we are in their shoes for the entire 110 minutes. The plot points are somewhat episodic, & fairly broad. But that is how the memoirs are written; any additional anecdotes/characterizations are filled-in by Owen & Jennifer along the way. I have never been more impressed with these 2 actors before. You truly believe that they are a couple; and they handle every joy, hardship, triumph, & tragedy as we ourselves would. And then, of course, there is Marley (played by 22 diff't dogs). While I wouldn't be able to stand Marley, you can see why the Grogans can. Furthermore, as I stated earlier, he's not as much of a title character as he's there more to show his masters what's really important in life. He gives them perspective. He's there to love & beloved; enabling the Grogans to appreciate the small things in life that fly by without notice.
You may be surprised that even though there's a cute dog, Owen Wilson, & Jen Aniston in the same movie; and though the movie is definitely a 'comedy' ... 'Marley & Me' is more serious, unpretentious, & thoughtful than you may expect. The humor is low-key. Nothing is concocted or scripted to be 'funnier' than it actually is. It's just a good movie, written well, highlighting how important family is, and how one dog can by the glue that holds a family together. Some might say the 'split' focus of the movie is a detriment (one part family, one part dog), but I think the combination works fairly well. I didn't expect to be rocked as hard as I was by the unabashed emotions of the final reel. Trust me, if you own a dog, it will make you want to run home & hug him/her as soon as you can.
Though the title character is Marley the dog, this is more the story of the growth & development of a young family. Marley is included in that family; and is at the epicenter of many of the decisions John & Jenny make throughout the course of their marriage. Pets are great, but they can also be a handful. And nowhere is this more evident than by Marley's youthful behavior. Purchased as a discount puppy by John for Jenny as a birthday gift, they soon realize that they have quite the situation on their hands. He fails obedience school (nice to see Kathleen Turner in this segment). He trashes their house; runs after people at the beach; jumps out of moving cars, the list goes on & on. Still, John & Jenny love him as one of their own; easy to forgive his many naughty antics.
Years go by. John & Jenny are conflicted as to where to go next (with their careers). But before long, Jenny starts popping out some kids. With an ever expanding household, John & Jenny start to see that 'with children' ... life gets very complicated. John is frustrated with his job. Jenny is tired from chasing kids & Marley. She is woeful about abandoning her career. Mid-life crises arise for both characters. And some big decisions have to be made involving Marley, & the livelihood of their entire family. Rather than give up, they persevere; turning bad situations into good ones. And the rest of the true story plays out as one would assume. PLEASE bring many tissues with you to the theater. I implore you.
One of the biggest appeals of 'Marley & Me' is it's ordinariness. It is both realistic & relatable. John & Jenny could be us. So we are in their shoes for the entire 110 minutes. The plot points are somewhat episodic, & fairly broad. But that is how the memoirs are written; any additional anecdotes/characterizations are filled-in by Owen & Jennifer along the way. I have never been more impressed with these 2 actors before. You truly believe that they are a couple; and they handle every joy, hardship, triumph, & tragedy as we ourselves would. And then, of course, there is Marley (played by 22 diff't dogs). While I wouldn't be able to stand Marley, you can see why the Grogans can. Furthermore, as I stated earlier, he's not as much of a title character as he's there more to show his masters what's really important in life. He gives them perspective. He's there to love & beloved; enabling the Grogans to appreciate the small things in life that fly by without notice.
You may be surprised that even though there's a cute dog, Owen Wilson, & Jen Aniston in the same movie; and though the movie is definitely a 'comedy' ... 'Marley & Me' is more serious, unpretentious, & thoughtful than you may expect. The humor is low-key. Nothing is concocted or scripted to be 'funnier' than it actually is. It's just a good movie, written well, highlighting how important family is, and how one dog can by the glue that holds a family together. Some might say the 'split' focus of the movie is a detriment (one part family, one part dog), but I think the combination works fairly well. I didn't expect to be rocked as hard as I was by the unabashed emotions of the final reel. Trust me, if you own a dog, it will make you want to run home & hug him/her as soon as you can.