Marley And Me isn't that good a film. Oh, it's not that bad, but it really isn't No 1 at the box office material, despite the fact that that is where it has been hanging out - that success is more a comment on its competition, I think.
The film breaks down into 3 broad sections. In act one, newlyweds Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston get a labrador puppy as an excuse for putting off a decision about starting a family and it turns out the dog is wilful, disobedient, untrainable and destructive - how hilarious. In act two, other matters start taking hold - they start a family, there are job issues, they move etc., and Marley is always part of the equation. In act three, Marley's age and illnesses lead to the inevitable conclusion.
Act one irritated me - so many of the problems could have been avoided by keeping Marley on a lead - simple responsible dog ownership. Act two I quite enjoyed: although it was somewhat soapy, it held my interest. Act three is of course the clincher, and the one which sends you out of the cinema with tears rolling down your face (and boy were there some of those).
Call me cynical, but I rather felt that being upset at the dog being put down was a foregone conclusion for anyone who has a degree of empathy in their body, and the fact that it is emotionally affecting doesn't necessarily mean that the film overall is good.
Other things that irritated me were the fact that Jennifer Aniston's character referred to Owen Wilson as John Grogan in full 3 times in the first ten minutes, you know, just to make sure we didn't forget what his name was, or that the movie was based on a book by a real-life genuine person. Also, I shared Jennifer Aniston's irritation with the fact that whatever happened to her husband - and his life was pretty much a constant upward procession of good things happening - he was always hankering for something which was just out of reach. However, perhaps that was a genuine reflection of the real-life John Grogan.
I quite understand that they had to use 20 different dogs to play Marley - what a shame that no two of them looked the same.
Owen Wilson continues to get along by playing the same amiable character he has played in pretty much every movie I have ever seen him in, from Shanghai Noon to Wedding Crashers. Jennifer Aniston again showed tantalising glimpses of the actress of subtlety and power within her who deserves a substantially better film than this one.
The film breaks down into 3 broad sections. In act one, newlyweds Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston get a labrador puppy as an excuse for putting off a decision about starting a family and it turns out the dog is wilful, disobedient, untrainable and destructive - how hilarious. In act two, other matters start taking hold - they start a family, there are job issues, they move etc., and Marley is always part of the equation. In act three, Marley's age and illnesses lead to the inevitable conclusion.
Act one irritated me - so many of the problems could have been avoided by keeping Marley on a lead - simple responsible dog ownership. Act two I quite enjoyed: although it was somewhat soapy, it held my interest. Act three is of course the clincher, and the one which sends you out of the cinema with tears rolling down your face (and boy were there some of those).
Call me cynical, but I rather felt that being upset at the dog being put down was a foregone conclusion for anyone who has a degree of empathy in their body, and the fact that it is emotionally affecting doesn't necessarily mean that the film overall is good.
Other things that irritated me were the fact that Jennifer Aniston's character referred to Owen Wilson as John Grogan in full 3 times in the first ten minutes, you know, just to make sure we didn't forget what his name was, or that the movie was based on a book by a real-life genuine person. Also, I shared Jennifer Aniston's irritation with the fact that whatever happened to her husband - and his life was pretty much a constant upward procession of good things happening - he was always hankering for something which was just out of reach. However, perhaps that was a genuine reflection of the real-life John Grogan.
I quite understand that they had to use 20 different dogs to play Marley - what a shame that no two of them looked the same.
Owen Wilson continues to get along by playing the same amiable character he has played in pretty much every movie I have ever seen him in, from Shanghai Noon to Wedding Crashers. Jennifer Aniston again showed tantalising glimpses of the actress of subtlety and power within her who deserves a substantially better film than this one.