Gee, I hadn't cried in a really long time till I saw Marley & Me. It has no strong plot, but it will make you laugh and cry all the same.
Director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) interprets Hollywood's latest book-to-movie offering, American journalist John Grogan's autobiography Marley & Me, a humorous account of 13 years of his family's life spent with their Labrador retriever, Marley.
After writers John (Owen Wilson) and Jennifer Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) get married, they decide to have a dog first before having kids. They name him Marley, and he hilariously ensures who's alpha dog in the Grogans' home. Wilson does well in this semi-serious role, and has good chemistry with Aniston, who just looked a bit too good even for the parts where she was supposed to already look frazzled. Grey's Anatomy's Eric Dane takes on another playboy role as John's friend Sebastian, who lives out John's dream in a parallel universe, so he probably just ran on auto-pilot. It was shocking to see Kathleen Turner as the harassed dog trainer Ms. Kornblut; I can't believe she agreed to do such a non-glam role. Alan Arkin was wonderful as John's poker-faced but supportive editor Arnie Klein. Their scenes were restrained but memorable, and when Arnie tells John, "Sometimes life has a better idea", you can't help but apply his wisdom to yourself, too.
Considering the thin plot, and knowing how it will eventually play out in the end (even without having read the book), the movie drags on a bit too long. Although, anyone who's ever lost a dog will undoubtedly relive the tragedy through this movie, so it's definitely emotionally engaging. It really is true: "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." A must-see for doglovers of all ages!
Director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) interprets Hollywood's latest book-to-movie offering, American journalist John Grogan's autobiography Marley & Me, a humorous account of 13 years of his family's life spent with their Labrador retriever, Marley.
After writers John (Owen Wilson) and Jennifer Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) get married, they decide to have a dog first before having kids. They name him Marley, and he hilariously ensures who's alpha dog in the Grogans' home. Wilson does well in this semi-serious role, and has good chemistry with Aniston, who just looked a bit too good even for the parts where she was supposed to already look frazzled. Grey's Anatomy's Eric Dane takes on another playboy role as John's friend Sebastian, who lives out John's dream in a parallel universe, so he probably just ran on auto-pilot. It was shocking to see Kathleen Turner as the harassed dog trainer Ms. Kornblut; I can't believe she agreed to do such a non-glam role. Alan Arkin was wonderful as John's poker-faced but supportive editor Arnie Klein. Their scenes were restrained but memorable, and when Arnie tells John, "Sometimes life has a better idea", you can't help but apply his wisdom to yourself, too.
Considering the thin plot, and knowing how it will eventually play out in the end (even without having read the book), the movie drags on a bit too long. Although, anyone who's ever lost a dog will undoubtedly relive the tragedy through this movie, so it's definitely emotionally engaging. It really is true: "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." A must-see for doglovers of all ages!