Marley and Me

Starring:
Jennifer Aniston, Alan Arkin, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Owen Wilson
Screenplay:
Scott Frank
Director
David Frankel

MPAA Rating: PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language.
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Reviewed by: George 'El Guapo' Roush - 12.24.08

If it's two things humans can't stand seeing on the movie screen it's Jennifer Aniston and a dog dying. Marley & Me unfortunately has both but the movie is such a nice celebration of a dog's life that these two things actually help make for one of the sweetest doggie films to come along since the days of Lassie. Except Jennifer isn't stuck in a well. Actually, if she were stuck in a well, you could just fill it with water and watch her float to the top. Hopefully she would be face up, of course...


Marley & Me is based off of the true story of John (Owen Wilson) and Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan, two good looking honkys who get hitched and live in Florida. John wants to be a hard nosed reporter but ends up as a columnist, something he doesn't quite take to at first, while Jennifer writes for another paper. The couple decide to adopt a puppy and end up finding Marley, who is sold to them at a discount, and only later do they find out why. Marley is perhaps the most disobedient dog on the face of the planet. No obedience school can tame him and an appearance by Kathleen Turner who now looks like she could play defensive tackle for the NY Jets, makes for some great laughs as the dog instructor.
The story is basically about the Grogans and how they struggle with raising kids (they keep having more and more for some reason) while Marley is driving Jennifer crazy because she's having a hard time staying at home raising the kids while the dog is running around destroying the house. Waaaaaaaa! It's called a backyard and real life, bitch. Deal with it. My Mom and 50 billion other mom's had to.

John starts to write a daily column about the crazy experiences he's having raising Marley and how the dog has been such an integral part of the Grogan household. The columns become extremely popular and John finds himself now stuck as a columnist instead of being a reporter, where he feels he can do his best work. It's this part of the movie where I kind of feel as if John is a fucking idiot. Look dude, if you're good at something, stick with it. I'm a shitty writer, but I'm good at writing humorous columns, (yes, debatable) reviews and news pieces that poke fun of the entertainment industry. Does that mean I should write normal shit like everyone else? Nope. I know my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, so I gotta stick with what I know. I wish more people would do the same in life and this internal struggle with John was annoying the piss out of me.

The movie could lose a good ten or twelve minutes to trim the fat. Some of it can be a downer, especially scenes where Jennifer miscarriages and the couple fight over the dog being in the house. But these family scenes show how intertwined Marley is with this couple and how he reacts to family situations. This is the strength of the screenplay and direction by David Frankel. The audience is becoming more and more attached to Marley, something I didn't think was going to happen. The kids are now growing a bit older and the family moves to Philadelphia so John can go back to being a reporter. The all move into a nice big house and everything seems right with the world, until Marley starts to become sick. He's old now and the family begins to realize that they may be losing what has been the biggest part of their family.

The last few scenes that deal with Marley's passing are tough to watch. The audience has now become emotionally invested in this animal and the scene with Owen and Marley at the vet is done with a quiet sincerity and honesty regarding the connection we have with our pets. This is where you start seeing the audience shift in their seats because they know what's coming. The only problem I had with this scene was Owen Wilson. Had he burst into tears while talking to Marley, I guarantee you the audience would have audibly erupted in tears. Unfortunately, he falls into Paul Walker category and is unable to pull the trigger. My Italian background only allowed me to shed one tear, but everyone else around me was crying their eyes out. One journalist that I spoke with later at the press junket said she had to leave because she wasn't able to emotionally handle it. See, as human beings we don't care if you kill other humans. Kill the dog though, and forget about it. Seriously, how many of you wished the dog had lived and Will Smith had died halfway through I Am Legend? Marley & Me is a film that celebrates this animal's life, and from beginning to end, we see how special of an animal Marley really was. It makes you appreciate your own pet that much more.

Even though it isn't marketed as a movie where the dog passes away, neither was Old Yeller. Growing up I had no idea that they were going to shoot that fucking dog. It was hard to watch, but we need to give kids some credit here. They can handle death a lot better than we think they can. Just because we freak out during scenes that deal with an animal's death, doesn't mean they can't handle it. Children have to experience death sometime and I think a film like this helps to prepare them. Shoot, my first experience with death was when I read Charlotte's Web when I was six. It actually made me ask questions and helped prepare me for when my own animals passed away. So stop turning your kids into such pussies. They can handle it. Believe me, if we could handle a dog being taken out behind a barn and getting its head blown off, these kids can handle the scenes with Marley's passing. Children need to learn about life and death and Marley & Me handles both beautifully. Now go pet your dog or cat. They're always happy to see you.

ANNIDYA BUNGA CITRASARI
XII - BAHASA/03