Rating of
3/4
Marley and Me
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 07/29/11
The film which stars Jennifer Aniston (Jenny), Owen Wilson (John), Eric Dane (Sebastian), Kathleen Turner (Mrs. Kornblut) and Alan Arkin (Arnie Klein). I was really surprised how engaging the story, dog and characters were. The story telling was never wearisome and the pace was always moving. Making you wait for the next scene to happen. Jenny and John adopt a puppy, the first one who went to them. The couple marries and as their family grows so does the troublesome Marley. They learn a lot being with him, John and Jenny learn more about themselves. The premise may seem simple but the execution was really effective and delightful. The film would not have been good without the flexibility of the main leads. Rarely do you see Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston stretch their acting abilities from comedic instances with Marley or dramatic scenes related to their family/relationship.
As an avid dog fanatic, I felt the movie portrayed the advantages and disadvantages of getting a dog. They are reliable, understanding and just darn cute. The only minor concern I had was the length of some scenes and the depressing ending. I feel that if kids were watching this, it would bring them to tears. A lot of life lessons can be learned, the presence of a responsible mother and dedicated father. A very good mix that could have been a classic if it weren’t for a few details that made me twitch. I guess they had to really adapt the story from the book.
