Movie Review: Marley and Me

Most people love dogs. Even if they don't have one themselves people think they're cute, adorable, and lovable. Anybody who's had a dog or known somebody who does is well aware that even the best dog has one or two "bad dog" stories, usually from when the dog was first being trained and would chew furniture, hump legs and so forth. Marly and Me tells the story of a dog whose entire life was nothing but "bad dog" stories. Destroying furniture, stealing food, jumping on guests, Marley does it all. But through it all he still loves unconditionally and is loved by those around him in spite of everything he does. Or at least that's the pitch, the reality is that the film deviates from the escapades of the lovable canine too often for its own good.

Marley and Me is based on the best-selling book of the same name and revolves around the Grogan family. As the movie opens, this family is made up only of John, played by Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), and Jen, played by Jennifer Aniston (The Break-Up). Both are reporters working for different papers in Florida with Jen's career taking off and John's stumbling. Though both seem content John starts to worry that Jen will soon want to start a family. On the advice of his friend and co-worker Sebastian (Eric Dane of TV's Grey's Anatomy), John decides to get them a dog to hit the snooze button on Jen's biological clock. This of course is where then puppy Marley enters the picture. From the start Marley is not the best behaved dog. Being a Labrador means that it's not long before Marley goes from an adorable puppy just tearing up the occasional pillow to a 100lb monstrosity capable of running off with an entire Thanksgiving Day turkey in his mouth. As the Grogans begin to have children and John's career takes some unexpected turns, Marley blunders along for the ride always keeping them on their toes through his life. And it should be noted that this does chronicle Marley's entire life, which includes the end. Normally that might be flagged as a spoiler but I think it's important in this case to know going in that the dog dies at the end. This is not one canine adventure, it's a complete life, start to finish.

For a film about a dog, Marly and Me has a surprisingly able cast leading it. Wilson and Aniston have a very playful chemistry that makes it believable that they're the kind of people who can handle Marley (and the other curveballs life throws). While most of the running time is focused on the Grogan family, they are backed up by some great supporting work as well. Most notable is Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine) who plays John's boss at the newspaper. His performance (like much of his recent work) is slightly off kilter in a very endearing way. He takes John under his wing but Arkin never lets it become a generic mentor character. Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone) also has fun in her short scene as a dog trainer attempting to keep Marley in line (you can probably guess how that turns out). There's also the various child actors that play the Grogan children at different ages. Thankfully the kids never enter into that grating precociousness that can pull down a family film like this. Marley himself is always incorrigible yet always endearing.

However, despite all the things that Marley and Me gets right there's one big gaping problem with this film - there isn't enough of Marley. This is much more a story about the forming of the Grogan family, which Marley happens to be a part. It only really feels like it's about Marley briefly when he's first brought in as a puppy and then again at the end when he's on his last legs. Clearly there's only so many times you can watch a dog shred a pillow but anybody who's read the book can tell you there are many wonderful destructive anecdotes that the movie doesn't make use of. And even the ones that are used often make Marley feel like a minor player in events when he is a central focus in the book. The film tracks the ups and downs of John's career far more than is necessary. There are long stretches where Marley literally is only in the background.

This all changes when Marley and Me enters the final act. Extended and detailed attention is paid to the very end of Marley's life while the rest was simply breezed by. Now there's been a lot of fuss about the closing act, some calling it too sad for families. There is no denying that anybody who has ever had or loved a dog will not be able to fight off the tears. But it's not overly manipulative or shmaltzy, it's all done through genuine moments and clearly showing the pain that the Grogans go through when the once indestructible Marley no longer can even get up the stairs. The level of attention paid to Marley and his impact on the family in this final half hour is what should have been done throughout the entire film. So while nearly all will tear up at Marley's passing it will be because of the general sadness of a dog dying, not because it's this specific dog. Marley is too peripheral for too much of the film for the final goodbye to be earned.

Marly and Me isn't a bad film, it's just not really about the dog until there are tears to be had. Marley shows up for a few good jokes and overall moments of canine destruction but the film never feels like it's ever really about him. It feels like there's more attention paid to John's career fluctuations than to the titular dog. Had as much attention been paid to Marley throughout the film as there is at the end, Marley and Me could have been a real gem. Instead the movie is too far from what it's pitched as to be fully rewarding.

Final Score: 2.5 out of 5