These days, film preview scenes are often slapsticky, usually taken out of context, and almost always designed to appeal to the lowest common denominator. After seeing the previews for Marley and Me, I didn’t really want to see the movie. Frankly, they made the picture look dumb – just another silly pet flick. It was only because of the recommendations of friends, plus a couple of programs about it on the Turner Classic Movies channel and The Dog Whisperer, that I reconsidered and actually went to see the film. Thankfully, my friends and the programs were right. Marley and Me is far more than just another doggy tale.
Based on a real-life memoir by newspaper columnist John Grogan, Marley and Me dramatizes the adult life of John and Jenny Grogan and the doggy life of Marley, their yellow Labrador retriever, affectionately referred to as “the world’s worst dog.” John and Jenny have recently graduated from college and moved to Florida, where John has every expectation of making a major mark as a newspaper reporter. After they buy a house and become settled in their new jobs, John gets the idea that it would please Jenny no end to have a dog, so on his own he goes out and buys a Lab puppy he names Marley, after Bob Marley the singer. Jenny is pleased, all right, but neither of them knows what they’re in for. Marley is a phenomenon with chaos in his wake. It’s Murphy’s Law to the max: anything that possibly could go wrong will go wrong when Marley is around. So John and Jenny’s life is changed in many ways: Marley just about rules the home roost. Jenny starts to get ideas about becoming a mother. And John’s boss broaches the idea that John might want to consider becoming a columnist instead of a reporter. John resists this notion at first since he’s always thought he wanted to live the exciting, glamorous (and dangerous) life of a globe-trotter like that of his swinging friend Sebastian. This is not to be, however; John discovers that his destiny is to become a better and better columnist who lives the settled life of a family man. And what a life it is.
Marley occupies center stage in the household of John and Jenny and their children, but the picture is really about making good choices and the positive values of traditional family life. We
see John and Jenny’s union as rich, full, loving (and of course challenging) -- the opposite of the supposedly exciting but empty existence of the woman-chasing Sebastian. All of the actors perform well, including Owen Wilson as John, Jennifer Aniston as Jenny, Alan Arkin as John’s boss, and the 17 Labs who play the role of Marley at his various ages. I can recommend this movie highly, though there are a few cautionary points: one is that there are one or two “suggestive” scenes between John and Jenny (though they are married, remember). Another is that the film covers Marley’s entire life. Also, there are instances of unfortunate language.
A recent Internet article discussed “Twenty Movies That Make Men Cry.” Marley and Me should be the twenty-first.
Film rating: PG
My Rating: 3 ¼ stars.
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