"Give him your heart and he will give you his". (Marley & Me (DVD))

Member Name: diamond_sparkles

Product:	Marley & Me (DVD)
Date:	14/09/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extremely emotional, will please lots of pet lovers

Disadvantages: None

Marley and Me has no outstanding thrills, no legendary romance or not even an extraordinary plot. But it is still one of the movies that I love the most because of the sweetness and simplicity of it. I believe that this is the perfect movie for dog lovers like me, or for anyone who ever made their pet a part of their family. There was some really great acting, especially from Jennifer Aniston and as expected, the dog in the film played the most vital part of the plot.


The film is based on the book Marley and Me and having read the book, I can easily say that for me, it was quite an accurate representation of all the wonderful and profound feelings that are included in the book. The movie was so touching and moving that I kept crying from start to end; I believe that I can truly say that I have never watched a more sentimental film before!


The story depicts John and Jenny, a newly married couple who are adapting themselves to their married life. When John feels that Jenny is eager to have a child, for which he is not ready yet, he gets her a little puppy to take her mind off motherhood. This is where their peaceful life ends. Marley ends up being the "World's Worst Dog" and no amount of training or discipline is able to get him in line. But despite Marley's numerous antics, he manages to create a place for himself in their household and consequently becomes a vital part of their lives.


Like the plot shows, there is nothing extraordinary about the story, no unexpected twists or even suspense. It is simply the journey of a pet and the closeness that a dog can share to a family. I really appreciated the manner in which they managed to show that there is no difference between the love showered on a human sibling and a pet: I really hated these films that showed how a dog is just "the dog" or "the pet" but this is the movie in which one clearly sees how Marley becomes part of the family in every sense.


I was also very much in awe in front of the fantastic dialogue in the film. There was none of these long declarations or sentences filled with Shakespearean prose, but true to the spirit of the film as a whole, the dialogue was kept sweet and simple. I think that this only enhanced the touching atmosphere that lingers throughout. The words are as basic as can be but manages to convey a lot of emotions to the audience. I felt that the words were also very much in touch with the various scenes.


Of course with such a dog as Marley, there are bound to be some funny scenes, and there were times when I was like a complete fool on the couch: Laughing hysterically and crying at the same time! I extremely admired the way that the producers managed to reach out to the audience in that way- they can easily get emotions changing inside a viewer, as the scenes move on. I also just loved the dog that played Marley; quite frankly, I can't imagine another dog replacing that adorable golden retriever. The huge loving eyes just make you want to reach inside the screen and squeeze him in a humongous hug!


The main thematic features are love, family ties and pets. I really sensed a lot of lifestyle moral values and teachings in the movie. In fact, the main characters were not perfect, their lives were not smooth (especially with the added mischief of Marley!), but the movie shows how they cope with various happenings in an extremely realistic manner. There was no fairy-tale like element but everything was downright realistic.


Still, the feel-good factor was present all throughout because like every real family, both the sad and happy moments were shown. I think that this will really help people relate to the movie. I really loved the way that they showed how Marley was with the family all throughout the good and bad times, as an extra special member. It was really great to see how a dog can literally change an individual's life.



The Cast includes:
* Owen Wilson
* Jennifer Aniston
* Eric Dane
* Nathan Gamble
* Haley Bennett



DVD Bonus includes:
* Deleted Scenes
* Commentary by Director David Frankel
* Featurettes



I really loved the bonus features, and it gave a lot of interesting details about how the film was produced, and how they trained the dogs to play Marley. I really would not recommend anyone to skip the bonus features.


Overall, as John says in the film: "A dog doesn't care if you're rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his".

Marley and Me is an extremely touching and sentimental movie that I will certainly recommend every single pet lover to watch. Just make sure to grab the tissues!


Thanks for reading!

Summary: Marley is the World's Worst Dog