Customer Reviews

Marley & Me (with Photo Book)

5 star:		(150)
4 star:		(60)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(21)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

'Marley & Me' is a great adaptation of the novel by Josh Grogan. It kept all the emotional elements as well as the fun. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson had amazing chemistry together in this heartfelt film. It is more than just a dog movie, surpassing hit dog films such as 'Beethoven,' '101 Dalmations,' and 'Homeward Bound.' This film concentrates on the family and how a dog affected the lives of this family for both good and bad. It's a good representation of a young couple and how they evolve as they have children and move on in life. Along with it, is shows the life cycle of a dog, which is something that rarely gets shown honestly in films. It shows the good, the bad, and the painfully tragic elements of having a dog. The end of the film is very true to the book and I'm glad because it is probably the most important part of the story and it's nice to see it portrayed honestly for fans of the book.
Overall, I think viewers will enjoy this film. Jennifer Aniston is sweet as the supportive wife and Owen Wilson shows how he's much more than playing screwball characters and can be tender and emotional as well.

There are quite a bit of extras on the "Bad Dog Edition" that fans of this film will no doubt enjoy exploring.

There is a collection of 19 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director David Frankel. We see John and Jenny go house hunting in Boca Raton. There is more footage of them choosing to adopt Marley. Naturally, there is more of Marley's antics as well.

"Finding Marley" takes a look at the 22 dogs used in the film. One dog in particular had the most screen time. We see how his trainer got him to do various things and it is amazing to see how well trained he is.

"On the Set with Marley: Dog of all Trades" is an "interview" with the dog that played Marley including on the set footage provided by a camera located on the pooch's head.

"Breaking the Golden Rule" features the cast and crew talking about how Marley & Me is not a dog film per se but about the Grogan family. The cast speaks admiringly of each other and, of course, the dogs.

"Animal Adoption" champions adopting your pet from a shelter or pound. It covers some of the things to consider when you want to adopt an animal. This is one extra that everyone should see.

"Purina Dog Chow Marley & Me Video Contest Finalists" features footage of dogs doing all sorts of funny, goofy and adorable things that did not qualify for the Hall of Fame but were pretty entertaining in their own right.

"Purina Dog Chow Video Hall of Fame" features the best of the best.

Also included is the requisite "Gag Reel" with the cast blowing their lines and so on.

"When Not to Pee" shows how a spontaneous moment of dog urination was recreated and took two dogs and several takes to pull off.

Finally, there are some trailers.

There is a lot of controversy about this movie....it seems like people either love it or hate it. I'm in between....

I did not see Marley and Me in the theaters but being a dog-lover since I was born, I was interested and borrowed the DVD from my boss a few days ago as my mother wanted to see it as well.

For all you who have heard from lots of angry parents claiming "false advertising" and "deceiving trailers", I'd like to confirm that yes, that is somewhat true. If I had young brothers or sisters or children of my own, who wanted to see a cute and funny family dog movie, "Marely and Me" is not the movie that comes to mind here.

This for two reasons:

One, the movie's focus is on the marriage of a new couple and their struggles through a married life. It doesn't soley focus on the dog, he more so takes a backseat in most of the film, apart from the first hour or so. Children will adore the puppy Marley in the beginning, but their attention will go elsewhere when things get more serious after Marley grows up.

Two, is the mature content of the movie. There are several sexual references (nothing too explicit), some profanity, and darker scenes that are definitely too intense for younger viewers. I wouldn't suggest Marley and Me to anyone under 12...or any child who has not had "The Big Talk" yet. Because these scenes are most likely going to trigger the question that must be answered with "The Big Talk". Sure, innuendo goes right over the young ones' heads. But the last scene is the real clincher. It's going to have them crying so hard that it makes me say "Please completely abandon the idea of showing the movie to a kid. They won't be able to handle it."

My best suggestions for kid-friendly, family-friendly cute dog movies with HAPPY endings and very little adult content:

Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Beethoven (only the first flick)
Lassie (most mature of the three but will definitely touch your heart.)

Now that we've covered that fact that this is NOT a children's movie, onto the actual review:

It's good but it could've been a bit better. Again, for two reasons:

One, it's a bit too long. Cut a half-hour out and it'd be fine.

Two, the relationship between the family and the dog wasn't really developed enough in my opinion. Marley spent most of the movie destroying things and terrorizing people and I kept waiting for him to do something heroic or outstanding in order to redeem himself but...he doesn't, aside from a comforting scene here and there. When Owen Wilson's character comments to the vet that Marley stayed up all night to watch over their sick son, I was thought ".....what? Why didn't they show that then!?" And because of this flaw, it really takes out much of the impact the ending is supposed to have. I'm a crier, a dog lover, and very sensitive. But the most I got was slightly teary-eyed. Marley and Me's biggest mistake was that it doesn't give the viewer enough time to fall in love with Marley before it's time to say good-bye to him.
.......although if you hate crying and feeling depressed, this COULD be a good thing.
Oh, did I mention that the dog's euthanasia scene is completely milked for all it's worth? Yeah. It's like the directors are doing everything possible to get you to cry that it almost feels insulting. They drag it out so far that I was saying to myself, "Come ON...enough is enough...it's far too obvious...just STOP IT!" I don't like to be beaten over the head with stuff. Owen telling Marley that he's a great dog as he dies was the thing that triggered my tears. The sad music and the home movies, and the children's euthanologies just made me roll my eyes and say "...um....trying a little TOO hard now".

So where's the good stuff? Well, it lies in the film's originality, talented acting, and ability to tell the realistic story of a any dog owner's life. There is something here any person who has raised a puppy can relate to-all through the parts of Marely's mischeviousness, I myself kept laughing and saying "YUP, MY DOG DOES THAT!!" Some of his antics are exaggerrated but not to point beyond disbelief-and that makes it even funnier. Comments like "Now he's eating the floor" and "Now he's eating your briefcase" had my family of three burst into laughter because as dog owners, we know what it's like.

The acting is GOOD. The characterization is GOOD too. Despite what you've heard, Jennifer Aniston is NOT Rachel Greene at all in this. She's an admirable, take-charge, responsible and independent mother, who as a human of course has her limits but she only complains ONCE about it. She also still looks pretty good for her age....I'd imagine that's a bonus for you men out there who like to look at her. *laugh* And the children are all very adorable and Owen plays a good father who even when he dislikes his job, puts his family first in every choice he makes.

As many have said before, this is a good movie to see with teenagers or significant other. The romance is well-done. But also see it if you love dogs or have owned one. Whether it's dogs, romantic love, or having a family, Marley and Me most likely has at least one thing any older viewer can relate to.

This movie is excellent. I read the book before entering the theater on Christmas Day. I am a huge Jennifer Aniston fan so I am usually first in line to see her movies anyway, but I was amazed at how closely the movie followed the book. We have a man and wife, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston who are hopelessly in love. When the husband realizes his wife may soon want kids, he knows he is not ready and instead opts for a dog instead. They are easy enough and it can delay the process of children for a couple years right? They didnt bargain for the trouble that Marley would bring them. They could rarely vacation because they couldnt find someone to dog sit what they called the worlds worst dog. In the end you realize all the hardships that Marley has helped bring them through and helped to bring them closer together, further proving that dogs can be a mans best friend.

Excellent movie, great performances from both main actors, and watch for Eric Dane the comical womanizer that gives his friend advice, from dogs, to women. Definitely worth watching and worth owning.

I went to this movie over the Christmas Holidays with my girlfriend and my mother and we had an absolutely wonderful time watching this movie and laughed from beginning until about the last 20 minutes. This is such a fantastic family film and belongs right alongside such films as; Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern Grows, and The Nine Lives of Thomasina, just to name a few.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are absolutely amazing together in this film and so much is added by the chemistry that these two actors share on screen. Marley, well he is in a class (literally) all by himself. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time.

Now I am not going to spoil the ending for you, although I am going to give you a very STRONG WARNING!

The ending is nothing short than a hysterical tearjerker that is really going to affect anyone that has had to go through the same thing that John Grogan the author of Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog (portrayed in the movie by Owen Wilson) had to go through with Marley. I had an almost identical experience I had to go through with my best friend of 15 years and it brought back very powerful emotions that bothered me for several days after seeing this movie. So bad in fact that although I really enjoyed all but the last 20 minutes of this movie, I will never be able to watch it again.

If you watch this with your children, please have a talk with them beforehand so that it will ease the experience of what they will see at the end of this movie.

Shawn Kovacich
100% Cat Lover (Okay, and doggies too!)
Creator of numerous books and DVD's.

I didn't expect to like this movie, but wound up loving it. I laughed
at every scene, and cried like a baby at the end. Lot's of emotional
rollercoaster rides with this touching comedy. Experiences everyone
has endured with a beloved pet. They make you mad, they make you laugh,
and they provide that unconditional love when you need it. Then they
break your heart, make you feel hopeless you can't help them, and give you those memories of endearment you will never forget. What is life
without a Marley in your life?

Just goes to show you....on Sunday I swore to a whole room full of people that I'd never watch Marley and Me.

Why? Multiple reasons. A) I can not handle pets in jeopardy scenes. I won't watch Old Yeller, I cried over the promo clip for 8 Below. My mom always thought Lassie was my favorite show, but I always watched with my little heart in my throat and sweat glistening my brow. B) I'm sentimental and a sucker for anything that is designed to play my heartstrings. I've cried at Hallmark and coffee commercials along with a thousand movies. It's so bad that my family watches me for entertainment during sad scenes.

Marley and Me were never meant to be. But on Monday, a friend invited a few of us over for her birthday. Her movie of choice? Yeah. You guessed it.

I sobbed. Not even going to try to downplay the sad. My eyes were swollen for at least an hour after the movie ended. I didn't just cry at the end, I was leaking from the mid-point. I'm not even a natural dog person. That said, I like Marley and Me. I liked it because it didn't rely on just cheap "cute" pet shots to win over the viewers, instead it was a nicely fleshed out character piece. The Grogans struggled with life in quite a few scenes and I was there with them. I didn't grow as attached to Marley as I might have, and this is a good thing, any more attached and it would have been too, too sad, because the filming covered about a dozen years in highlights.

Some of the scenes were hysterical. Some also hit a little close to home. Alan Arkin cracks me up. I love his delivery. Only one caution...I watched this film with an eleven year-old and cringed a few times. The language is mild, but there is some. The situations are PG-to PG-13, but there are a few uncomfortable moments, especially with a child in the room. So, parents, don't assume this is G-rated Disney family friendly. If you are concerned, check it out first.

From the commercials and trailers, you think this is going to be a funny story about a cute dog that would be great for the family. I sat down to watch this with my 11-year-old last weekend and we enjoyed about the first 45 minutes...

Then "life" started happening and the story quit being about the dog (true of real life but not necessarily what I want when I'm watching a movie) -- the babies came along, postpartum depression episodes which were very uncomfortable to watch, mid-life crises and in the end...

For literally the last 45 minutes, my son and I were crying our eyes out... we were so depressed. Despite the late hour, we had to pop in a Robin Williams stand-up routine just so that we could start laughing again.

Folks, don't let the cute dog and the funny trailers fool you. This is a serious film that is bound to leave you feeling depressed.

Our dogs liked it though because we were so sad that we both hugged them for dear life just for the comfort factor and their fur was so absorbent!

I really enjoyed this movie...I read the book first and in all fairness if you have not read the book, i recommend doing so- they really left a whole bunch of details out for the movie purposes. It was a cute movie, and I think that alot of pet owners will enjoy it. I do have to say though that at the end, I was sobbing like crazy, and im 20. It just reminded me of when my Siberian Husky Samantha passed away, so I warn that it is a little bit sad, but it does happen in life. Overall, I thought it was a pretty great movie.

A funny movie describing the wonderful things our pets do. This proves the fact that a dog or any pet for that matter is part of the family. Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson fill the part of dog owners perfectly in this comedy. Their lives change once the dog arrives and all for the better. But like always all things come to an end. I'll leave it at that. Dog lovers have tissue ready because it's definately a movie that will make you cry.