Probably should have been called '10 different dogs & Me' (Marley & Me (DVD))

Member Name: eatingpinkzebras

Product:	Marley & Me (DVD)
Date:	08/04/09 (170 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good acting, funny

Disadvantages: Long and slow paced

This is a film only review as the DVD has not yet been released.

Marley & Me is a film starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. It is based on the autobiographical book by John Grogran, called 'Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog'. It was published in 2005 and was a bestseller.

The book and film tell the story of John (Wilson) and his new wife Jenny (Aniston) who move to Florida where they both get jobs as journalists. Worried that Jenny is thinking of having a baby even though he's not yet ready, John decides to buy her a puppy, on the advice of his best friend and colleague Sebastian (Eric Dane - Grey's Anatomy). Unfortunately the puppy, Marley, turns out to be impossible to control and soon takes over their house and their lives. The film follows the couple and their dog over many years as they have children, struggle with their marriage and their ambitions and move house. Marley remains a part of the family throughout and they realise how much he means to them.

There's not a lot of plot or story in this film and it basically just shows the life of the couple. This means that at times it can be a bit slow-paced and certainly towards the end it drags a lot. However there is some good writing and some funny parts, and Wilson and Aniston are very good both together and individually. They are quite believable as a couple which is always important for a film like this. Unfortunately Marley is not quite as believable because they used so many different shaped and different coloured dogs for the part that he looks like he is constantly changing. This is a shame as it's a bit distracting.

I also wonder who this is really aimed at. I expected it to be a family film that young children could enjoy as well as adults, and that most of it would be focused on the dog's amusing antics. This isn't really the case though and after the cute opening half hour or so the film becomes much more serious and deals with mature issues such as miscarriage, reluctance by one partner to have sex, unfulfilled dreams, postnatal depression and all sorts of other things. Much of this would be boring, upsetting or unfathomable for younger children and so I think it's really only for teenagers or above.

It's also probably more suited to girls than guys as it gets quite soppy towards the end and they really play the emotional side of the family's attachment to the dog. I did a lot of crying!

I enjoyed the film and would happily watch it again one day, but I am not sure how wide an appeal this will have for most people.

Summary: Not what I expected, but still good