Marley & Me

Marley & Me
Starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Alan Arkin & Kathleen Turner

Marley is a dog. "Marley & Me" is a dog movie that does not include computer animation or dogs that can talk - even to themselves - and so, it's a good movie to me. However, there are some glitches to this canine blockbuster.

First of all, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play the roles of John and Jen Grogan (John wrote the novel with the same title, thus "Marley & Me" is a true story). Both are job-driven, both are writers, and both are in love with each other. Their film is about the struggles of marriage, children, and, ultimately, their yellow lab. Marley, no matter how many times the dog changes, is the critical role in the film. He drives every scene and steals them. Wilson and Aniston merely try to outshine the dog, but fail nearly every time.

A few instances appear in this film where the two actors have moments of average performances. Aniston creates an irritating, nagging housewife that is both aggravating and empathetic. Wilson is his usual self for the most part, but really lets loose in Marley's final moments on the screen. The words the dog-owner says to his beloved pooch are heartbreaking, and even though they're cliched, will make everyone in the audience run home crying to their dog who probably pissed everywhere.

Other than Marley, Alan Arkin as John's boss lights up the screen in a fairly dull film, just like he did in "Get Smart", Kathleen Turner has a scene stealer as the dog trainer unable to train Marley (though it's only for about five minutes), and Eric Dane serves as a doppelganger for John.

The first hour-and-a-half are full of partial laughs and cutesy scenes. John and Jen have kids who don't speak until they're about 8 years old, Marley grows up, getting himself into even more trouble, and the Grogan's move to Pennsylvania. The last half hour is terribly realistic - not sure if children can handle the intensity of Marley's passing, and so I recommend this film to families as long as you know what you're getting yourself into.

P.S. Owen Wilson, either accidentally or purposely, said called Eric Dane's Sebastian by "Eric" and not "Sebastian" in a scene near the end of the film. Nice editing, guys.

Grade: C+