Review

Dog’s are arguably one of God’s greatest physical gifts to man kind. Those that have them know that no matter how much trouble they are they love you unconditionally. They don’t care if you’re rich or poor, smart or dumb, ugly or beautiful; you’re always the best thing in their eyes. This is the surface message of Marley and Me, but there’s so much more.

Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson star in a movie that will be adored by dog lovers everywhere. Successfully mixing comedy and drama in a two hour heart warming storing that’s deeper than you might expect. Great acting and brilliant direction gives this it a depth and uncompromising honesty. If you walk out this movie with dry eyes you probably don’t have a heart.

The chemistry between Aniston and Wilson is believable and entertaining but the real star of the film is Marley, affectionately labelled the worst dog in the world by his owners. The dog manages to cause every kind of trouble as this family goes through the ups and downs of life. Wilson’s character struggles between his wife, his kids, his work and his over active dog, thus creating a wonderful commentary on the juggle of work and home.

The movie isn’t perfect, at times opportunities for extreme laughter or heart wrenching moments are missed, but overall the movie is difficult not to love.

Synopsis

As the snow falls on their wedding night, newlyweds John and Jenny Grogan (OWEN WILSON and JENNIFER ANISTON) decide to leave behind the harsh winters of Michigan and head south to begin their new lives in West Palm Beach, Florida. They obtain jobs as journalists at competing local newspapers, buy their first home, and begin to make their way through the challenges of a new marriage, new careers and, possibly, the life-changing decision to start a family. Unsure of his preparedness for raising children, John confesses his fears to his friend and fellow journalist Sebastian, who comes up with the perfect solution: John should get Jenny a puppy. “There’s nothing to it,” says Sebastian. “You walk ‘em. You feed ‘em, you let ‘em out now and then.” Then came Marley. The Grogans adopt the cute, twelve pound yellow Labrador, who in no time at all, grows into a 100-pound steamroller of unbridled energy that turns the Grogan home into a disaster area. He flunks obedience school, chews off dry-wall, takes a bite out of the sofa, overturns garbage cans, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, consumes pillows and flowers, drinks toilet water, and chases the UPS guy. Even a newly-purchased, expensive necklace isn’t safe from Marley’s voracious antics. Amidst the mayhem he generates through the years, Marley sees the Grogans through the ups and downs of family life, through job and home changes, and most of all, through the myriad challenges of a growing family. As John and Jenny come to realize, Marley – “the world’s worst dog” – somehow brings out the best in them.

Release Date

20 March 2009

Cast

Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Alan Arkin, Kathleen Turner

Age Restriction

PG

Director

David Frankel

Trailer

Tags: Alan Arkin, Comedy, cry, dog, Eric Dane, Jennifer Aniston, Kathleen Turner, labradoodle, labrador, laugh, Marley and Me, Owen Wilson, release date, review, synopsis, the world’s worst dog, trailer, website