MARMADUKE (very minor spoiler ahead) This is a movie that RottenTomatoes gave a 90% rotten rating, that received a 30/100 Metacritic rating, and a 2.8 (out of 10) from IMDb. So why did so many think that this is a "steaming pile" (as one dog eloquently puts it in the movie)? The answer is twofold, perhaps: (1) Marmaduke the comic is a sweet one-panel cartoon that usually derives its humor from Marmaduke's size (Marmaduke is a Great Dane, in case you are unfamiliar with the cartoon). Its humor is simple and direct, and Marmaduke the movie is not. What Marmaduke the movie is, is another stereotype teen high school movie with dogs instead of humans, which is reason (2). After so many movies about how nasty and vicious the "in" kids are and how the sweet, downtrodden "not in" kids triumph in the end, doing the same cliché with dogs instead of people doesn't refresh the cliché, it just turns it into, well, a steaming pile. Now, having given you the down side, here is the good part: the movie is full of physical comedy, jokes, more physical comedy, and an energy that will please many children. And this is reason enough to make it less odious to parents: it's hard to hate a movie that is making your child laugh. And of course the movie is full of dogs, and who doesn't have a soft spot for man's best friend? Judged as cinematic art, this is horrible. But as children's entertainment, it will be fine for many children. Taken as such, it is quite passable (but then, so are many kidney stones; you just might experience some pain from both).
Review of Marmaduke
