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Movie Review Marley & Me
The dog owners’ Terms of Endearment
Marley & Me
5:00 pm Dec 27 - by Syd Slobodnik – buzz Writer
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Marley & Me
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MPAA Rating: PGCurrent Showtimes: No showtimes available
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Marley & Me is a near perfect holiday movie that will appeal to a wide variety of audiences and provide simple, pleasant entertainment. It’s got natural appeal to most dog owners; it’s sort of a chick flick about the early years of a marriage, and it’s a cute family comedy about a group of young kids and their unruly dog.
Based on a book by John Grogan, director David Frankel’s Marley & Me is a touching, funny, sad and a completely manipulative film, like a dog focused version of the 1983 Oscar winner Terms of Endearment. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston star as John and Jennifer Grogan, a husband/wife pair of journalists, who, while balancing their careers in South Florida, decide to begin a family by first purchasing a cute Labrador puppy they name Marley. Like a sitcom or soap opera, this slightly over long film deals with many of the typical highs and lows of the couple’s relationship - adding a baby every few years, changing homes, careers and along the way their ever rowdy, faithful dog is an integral part of the family.
While Wilson and Aniston make a cute couple in the romantic comedy aspect of the story, they are a bit challenged in the more serious dramatic parts of the narrative and are not especially believable as the dad and mom material. The film’s other actors Eric Dane, Alan Arkin and Kathleen Turner are mostly one dimensional stereotypes of best friend/ “single” pal, the fatherly mentor editor and the frumpy dog trainer.
Marley & Me has lots of laughs and it certainly pulls the heart strings of anyone who ever experienced a long term relationship with a canine companion.
Sound Off
Last post: Jan. 2, 2009 at 11:12 am
Andy Herren (Andy Herren) said on Dec. 28, 2008 at 5:58 pm:
I absolutely loved this movie. I wept for a good ten minutes after it was over. It is definitely a movie worth seeing.
Hallie Borden (Hallie Borden) said on Dec. 31, 2008 at 7:14 pm:
just saw this. you know, it wasn't half bad, contrary to what i was expecting. the only thing that was hard to believe was jennifer aniston and owen wilson being in their mid-twenties at the beginning.
Nikki (Nikki Blight) said on Jan. 2, 2009 at 11:12 am:
I've read the book, but have yet to see the film. I've never been a fan of dog movies (or romantic comedies, for that matter), but I might head out for this one. The book was a great read.
Jeff Brandt (Jeff Brandt) said on Dec. 28, 2008 at 3:57 pm:
From watching trailers and reading the plot descriptions, I can't imagine what would make this film worth seeing. But it sounds like some people really liked it. Maybe I'm biased against dog pictures.