Not doggone funny; has moments of tremendous warmth.
Interesting look back at the 90s through a transplanted South Floridian’s eyes.
Marley and Me tells a story with believable characters challenged with simple, yet global issues most of us will relate to at some point in life. Set in South Florida, (where I am both from and live in still) this film will take you back to the first place you bought, the first time you took a chance and asked yourself to value your worth and remind you, if you love animals, where you were when you got that special furry friend.
It took me back to when I got my now 11 year old Norwegian Forest Cat, who is still kicking and scratching at 23 pounds. I can remember when he was the damaged goods (or clearance kitten) out of a litter and I got him for free because he had a broken tail. In Marley and Me, there is something about the clearance puppy that you can’t quite place a label on, he is just a good bargain to the new couple ready to start their lives in earnest – while moving to paradise.
Overall the acting was adequate with some stand-out scenes that will surely leave a mark on your heart. The animal trainer did a good job showcasing Marley’s (Clyde’s) emotions. Jennifer Aniston as Jennifer Grogan and Owen Wilson as John Grogan both performed admirably throughout; you ceased thinking of them as Wilson and Aniston and really began to identify with their characters as genuine people. I really liked Director David Frankel’s decision to use some acoustic version of Nirvana’s Lithium and other pieces throughout to give the grunge a more suitable fit to the writing.
This isn’t a typical pet movie with cheesy plot lines thrown in to amuse the audience, ala Beethoven, or Turner and Hooch/K-9 where the dog somehow sacrifices himself for the greater good or anything like that. Marley and Me is your story, our story, the animal lovers out there, who want to see less cheese in these films about four-legged companions. And, you know they deserve better too, I would gladly shed some two-leggers for furry friends any day. Nothing terribly surreal happens in the film, everything has a base that is believable, and as result quite easily related to.
The message I took from Marley and Me is that life is different for all of us, and that all life ends – it is how we choose to live our lives that gives them meaning. Marley and Me won’t have you in a steady stream of laughter and it won’t bore you or grip at your heart-strings throughout. It is just a story about a young couple trying to cope with the challenges of life and enduring whilst loving a big lovable clearance puppy, Marley.
So, go see (insert name of your special friend) and You – It’ll be good for the family.
