Directed by:
David FrankelCinematography:
Florian BallhausComposer:
Theodore ShapiroCast:
Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Alan Arkin, Kathleen Turner, Eric Dane, Haley Bennett, Haley Hudson, Nathan Gamble, Joyce Van Patten, John Grogan (more)Plots(1)
Marley is a yellow Labrador adopted by John Grogan (Owen Wilson) a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and his wife (Jennifer Aniston). Their idea was to give them a taste of parenthood but the dog proved to be a hyperactive handful. He wreaks havoc gets kicked out of obedience school and gets even worse when the children begin to arrive yet becomes an indispensable part of the family. The family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog. Based on the memoir by John Grogan. (20th Century Fox AU)
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Reviews (7)
I’m glad that the two human hams don’t spoil the barky gala performance by the twenty-two dogs that played the role of Marley. Too bad, though, that the filmmakers end up cruelly tying up and tripping all eighty-eight paws by pulling so hard on the heartstrings. In this time of financial crisis, Hollywood obviously wants to give a Samaritan’s helping hand at least to the paper mills by raising Kleenex sales. And it works; even I shed a few tears. Over how easy it is to topple a sensitively filmed movie which mainly in the middle is more like Revolutionary Road than anything else (just the outcome is completely the opposite), if you don’t know when to stop. On the other hand, I’m pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t all that bad after all, because I had the following review up my sleeve just in case: “Let sleeping dogs lie. Like really."
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"A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes or designer clothes. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he will give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare, pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?" - Marley and Me is without question one of the most natural, genuine and beautiful films about a man and dog friendship I've seen to date. (85%)
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It's hardly a comedy, more of a family film with romance. When the dog makes mischief it's fun in places, Jennifer Aniston is great to watch and Owen Wilson is also likable, quite touching at the end but didn't impress me too much. 60%
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An enjoyable, light-hearted film ending with a touch of melancholy. A great leading couple, especially Jennifer Aniston, and of course the perfect Marley and his even more perfect all-telling chocolate eyes. The plot moved along and I was really minimally bored, which is a gem in today's comedies. The best scene was when Marley walked with his front feet on the road next to the car while Owen Wilson in the car held his back feet. A truly touching and sad ending. I highly recommend it for viewing.
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MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. An American, at times funny family drama (I wouldn't quite describe it as a comedy) whose central theme is life with a cute little dog who becomes a rightful and inseparable member of the family, and the original label of "worst dog in the world" can take on a whole new meaning after a while. From my initial characterization (an American drama with a dog theme) it would seem that this story would be full of pathos and kitsch, yet it is quite the opposite. The proof lies in the fact that the scenes that classically lend themselves to "squeezing and wringing" (e.g. when Owen Wilson is driving Marley away, never to return), Frankel's film still maintains a very appealing position (not distance, just position), leaving it more up to the viewer to perceive or deal with the facts presented (okay, maybe they doubled down a bit, but it left me with a relatively gentle impression. :) Owen Wilson's closing monologue is a kind of bittersweet ending to this rather original and imaginative work.
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