This isn't your typical dog movie. It's not about a young kid learning responsibility by owning a pet. The dog of the title, Marley, was journalist John Grogan's pet from early in his marriage to after his three kids were born. He wrote about his pet many times in his daily column and eventually wrote a best-selling book about "the worst dog ever." But the film really isn't about the dog. Marley is just a witness to Grogan's life.
The film begins with Grogan, played by Owen Wilson (THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS), getting married to fellow reporter Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston, TV's FRIENDS). He lands a reporter's job at a Florida newspaper where he dreams of doing big international stories like his friend Sebastian (Eric Dane, TV's GREY'S ANATOMY). When Jennifer starts discussing children, John buys her a puppy. Marley turns out to be a handful, destroying everything that he sees. Marley eats everything he can chew. He howls during thunderstorms. And letting him off his leash at the park or beach is always a mistake. After a few years, when John has settled into his new role as columnist, he feels ready for kids. As Jennifer eventually says, Marley is easy compared to raising children.
Over the course of Marley's life, we witness John grow. We see the ups and downs that all couples experience. Marley is there to comfort Jennifer when she has a miscarriage. Marley is there to watch over their three children. Marley is there when John simply needs someone to talk to about his frustrations with life.
Wilson and Aniston provide the material with genuine warmth. One will be particularly struck at how both actors handle the more intense scenes. There have been many films that attempt to watch the rollercoaster of a relationship over time, but they often seem melodramatic. Wilson and, especially, Aniston never overplay the material. Additionally, Marley grounds the film. Viewers will connect to the common inconveniences and headaches that owning a pet brings. And then how much more difficult it gets when you add kids to the equation. In these simple truths, the film reminds us of our own day-to-day lives. Our problems may be different (Grogan's discontent with his well-paying columnist job does seem whiny), but we connect to the issues of balancing work and home.
MARLEY & ME doesn't say anything profound about life, but it's nostalgic about real life in all the good ways. It is a witness to one family. At times it can be funny or heartwarming and even heartbreaking. At the end, it plays your heartstrings maybe one too many times, but it doesn't matter, because by then you're feeling a bit sentimental anyways. Marley isn't the world's worst dog, or some super movie dog — he's your dog or cat or robo hamster or red slider turtle.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
