Movie Info:
Writers: Scott Frank, Don Roos
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin, Ann Dowd, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett, Clarke Peters
Rating: PG
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: December 25, 2008
DVD Release Date: March 31, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $25.99
I have a lot of biases against watching the type of movie I thought Marley & Me was. I don’t like Jennifer Aniston. By proxy, I’m not fond of the movies she is in. I don’t like the feel-good family style movies. I don’t usually like movies about pets because, in general, they are way too corny to be fun. I am not a huge fan of comedies, and this movie looks like a comedy, at least from the trailers.
I was surprised by how good Marley & Me is. Yes, this is somewhat of a feel good movie, but rather than being cheesy and filled with kumbayas, this movie taps into the human emotion. Your emotions run the gamut as you watch Marley & Me. There is happiness, joy, amusement, sadness, humor, slight annoyance, and resolution. As you watch <em>Marley & Me</em>, it’s common to feel these emotions right along with the characters.
The actors are fairly good. Jennifer Aniston is okay in her role. I’m not in love with her portrayal, but she didn’t ruin the movie. Marley and all the various dogs that play him really steal the show. The dog makes the movie, and even though that’s true, this is so much more than a pet movie. It’s a commentary on life, family, and what we make of our successes (and/or failures). Owen Wilson is the human lead of this movie and he has the right mix of comedy and drama, which is needed to play the role he plays. He was pretty much perfectly cast.
The strongest part of Marley & Me is its plot and story. Without a well written story, this movie could have fallen apart. It would have been one of those cheesy family/pet movies I mentioned before. Instead, Marley & Me is poignant, touching, heartfelt, and entertaining. I actually really liked this movie. I don’t think you have to be into family-style movies to like Marley & Me. The well-written, well conceived concept for the movie ensures it can be watched and will by liked by a much wider audience than I anticipated it would.
The Marley and Me Plot
Marley and Me is based on the book by John Grogan. It’s about John and his family’s adventure with their unruly lab, Marley. It was later suggested that Marley, though lovable, may have had some type of mental condition that made it hard for him to follow commands, listen, and be trained. Marley was a lovable dog, fiercely loyal who provided much more than companionship to John, his wife, and their children.
At the beginning of this movie, John Grogan (Owen Wilson) has just married the love of his life, Jenny (Jennifer Aniston). The two decide to move from Michigan to someplace warm, so they head down to Florida, where John’s journalist friend, Sebastian (Eric Dane) has a job. John is referred to Sebastian’s boss, Arnie Klein (Alan Arkin), who reluctantly hires him to write on boring, local news stories. Jenny is also a journalist, though she has a job at a more respected establishment. John just wants to be a serious news reporter and hopes Klein will give him the chance.
Jenny has their whole life planned out. When she hints its time to start trying for a baby, John isn’t ready. Sebastian, a bachelor with girls falling all over him, suggests he buy her a puppy, so as an early birthday present, he buys her a little, cute yellow colored lab. He’s the cutest (and most affordable) in the bunch, and while she’s out of town for work, John brings little Marley (named for Bob Marley) home. It isn’t long before it becomes clear Marley has anxiety issues.
As Marley grows, the Grogans love for him grows. His bad behavior also grows. Initially, they try to find ways for him to be trained and straighten up, but their attempts are feeble. They soon have no choice but to accept Marley for who he is, adjusting themselves to his schedule and odd behaviors. Marley enjoys being rambunctious, playing in the water at the pet beach, the only one in the area, and driving John absolutely crazy. Jenny loves him though and he soon becomes a major part of the family.
When it is time for the Grogans to start having children, everything changes. Marley is still rambunctious and unable to behave. Jenny must make the choice between motherhood and work. John is promoted to being a columnist, but is not content. He wants to be out there telling the world the news and reporting exciting events. The rest of the world is seemingly passing John by as he lives in married mediocrity (so he sometimes thinks), especially his friend Sebastian, who’s stand out reporting gets him a job at a huge media conglomerate in New York.
As the Grogans struggle with raising a family, Marley’s issues, and growing old together, there is never a dull moment in this touchingly, realistic film.
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability: 
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Marley & Me is presented in 1080p AVC MPEG-4 video with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. This is a brand new movie so you’re not going to find any major problems here. The film comes through with bright, lively colors, good detail and a sharp transfer. The black levels are good and I did not notice any compression errors or other defects that might detract from the film. There really isn’t anything bad that can be said about Marley & Me where the visual aspect is concerned.
Audio is handled by DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround. As you would expect things sound good for the most part. This is not exactly intense as far as something that would challenge your surrounds, but everything is easy to hear and the dialogue steadily remains clear. Things like volume toggling or distortion are not an issue. Marley has a few dynamic moments with barks and other sound effects, so there isn’t much to complain about. Along with the English audio there are Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Subtitles are also available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Korean, and Cantonese.
Visual: 
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Marley & Me is offered in a 3-Disc Blu-ray edition, which we reviewed here. However, I cannot help but feel that the 3-Disc title is somewhat deceiving. You do receive three discs that much is true. One disc is for the Blu-ray and the other two are for DVD and digital copies. That being said, it is not as if you receive a high level of special features. There are a couple of things here that are worth checking out, but nothing like you would imagine whe you hear it’s a three disc set. There is no commentary available on any of the discs.
“Breaking the Golden Rule”: This eight minute featurette is nothing more than fluff. There are some cast and director interviews and some interviews with the real Jennifer and John, but everything here is simple and unimportant. It’s basic and goes by quickly without telling you a lot of anything.
“Finding Marley”: This featurette gives you an amusing, seven minute look at the dogs that were used as Marley. The trainers are on hand to talk about the tricks that can be used to make your dog behave. As an owner of a tempremental Shih-Tzu, it’s always nice to have some dog training tips. Of course, they make it look so much easier than it really is!
“On Set with Marley: A Dog of All Trades”: An amusing, short featurette that is really a mock behind the scenes. Marley is here to take you behind the scenes of the film.
“Animal Adoption”: This PSA announces AdoptAPet.com. This is a useful service that helps find homes for unwanted dogs.
“Purina Dog Chow Marley & Me Video Contest Finalists”: This eight minute featurette deals with the tie-in contest that occurred between Marley & Me and Purina. There were twelve finalists and each were able to make a short film that included Dog Chow. This is a mixed bag. Some of them were entertaining and others were pointless. In any case, none of these are going to make people switch to Purina, so I fail to see the point on that level.
“Dog Training”: This is labeled as a trivia track though I am not sure why. It actual is a PiP track that features 20 minutes or so of dog training video. Personally, I think fans of the film would have been more appreciative if this were an actual trivia track.
The final features here are nearly 30 minutes of deleted scenes (19 total), which were pretty decent, and a short gag reel that offers some outtakes.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Marley & Me was a surprisingly good movie. I like the Blu-ray for this movie because the quality is able to shine. There are some fun bonuses that are also included in this set. I recommend you purchase this in any form, though if you can afford the Blu-ray and you have a Blu-ray player, pick this version up. This movie is much better than I though and it comes recommended in whatever form you decide to purchase it in.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Blu Ray, Blu-ray Review, Marley and Me, Fox Home Entertainment, True Story, Column, Dog, Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson
Written by Dominick Evans – Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
