What it’s about:

Journalist John Grogan (Owen Wilson) and his wife Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston) move to Florida to start their new life. To keep Jennifer’s broodiness at bay, John decides to buy a puppy. While Marley seems utterly cute and cuddly at the outset, this fur ball turns into a boisterous, neurotic dog that wreaks havoc wherever he goes. As their family grows, John and Jen begin to wonder if there’s still space for Marley.


What we thought of it:

We are so often bombarded with fairy tale, picture perfect films that we are almost conditioned to expect the happy endings. And when we do, we feel cheated because it was 'predictable'. What a fickle audience we are...

Marley & Me is a true story based on the bestselling book of the same name by journalist John Grogan about his first-hand accounts with what he thought was the worst dog in the world. There are no "that would never happen in real life" moments. It’s more like "I hope I never have a dog like that!"

What makes this movie so endearing is that it portrays a really ordinary family life with an extraordinary dog. They drive a jalopy, they hose dog poop in search of eaten valuables and have to deal with increasing violence in their not-so-posh neighbourhood. Yet, in the midst of all this ordinariness, Marley surprises them day in and day out with his unwavering love – for them and all things chewable and chaseable.

Owen Wilson steps out of his frat-boy comedy box to play a responsible family man who’s just a little lost. It’s refreshing to see another side of his personality, and he portrays John with a delicate sensitivity. However, maybe because of his frat-boy track record, you’re always waiting for him to do something ridiculous. Instead, he’s picking up the pieces in the wake of Marley’s antics.

Jennifer Aniston is a little unconvincing as his doting wife. You just can’t imagine Aniston changing nappies and being a housewife. And to still look like a supermodel after three kids is just unfair, never mind unbelievable! But you can forgive her for all that because she puts up with the hellhound dog.

If you were hoping to convince your better half to get a puppy by watching this movie, it’s not going to work. As sweet as the sentiments are, it’s clear that looking after a pet is as exhausting as raising a family. But for the right dog, it’s worth all the trouble.