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Bookmark this pageMarley & Me (2008)
Director: David Frankel
Movie review
From Time Out London
With its child-friendly rating and top billing for an unruly golden Labrador, ‘Marley & Me’ leads one to expect a straightforward saga of man’s best friend. But this film is a more complicated animal. Although it hardly stints on Marley’s mischief-making appetite for frolicking naughtiness and chomping on just about anything he can get between his incisors, it’s mostly a bittersweet portrait of a couple settling down to family life and feeling like they’ve sold out on their youthful ambitions.Owen Wilson (carrying his own baggage of off-screen melancholia) plays the real-life Miami journo whose series of popular columns on life with a four-legged miscreant got the ball rolling. Meanwhile, Jennifer Aniston is a sympathetic match as the reporter girlfriend-turned-spouse who leaves work to raise their kids after juggling both proves a nightmare.
With its peachy star casting and impeccably art-directed lifestyles, the latest from ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ director David Frankel is too glossy to cut very deep, but there’s a core of truth as we see a family coming to shape itself around the loveable pooch they initially bought as a child substitute, all the while squaring up career sacrifices against the restorative recompense of domesticity.
Marley himself (played by 22 different dogs, don’t you know!) frequently takes a back seat when work and childcare issues dominate the proceedings, but he looms large in a final reel that draws tears, and feels like it’s earned them. Evidently contrived and something of an ungainly hybrid, the film shares its canine protagonist’s facility for wearing down your resistance.
Author: Trevor Johnston
Time Out London issue 2012, Mar 12-18 2009
User reviews of this film
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- hannah said...
- Posted on Sep 24 2009 21:15 sad
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- liam sloan said...
- Posted on Jul 20 2009 11:32 it was really good but some bits were really sad
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- Rory said...
- Posted on Jul 04 2009 11:59 Brilliant but sad i loved it sweet film with lots of meaning
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- Norman Lowther said...
- Posted on Jun 30 2009 20:48 A Film that made me 'paws ' for thought ! Full marks to all concerned.
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- Jake Murray said...
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Posted on Apr 25 2009 21:40
Today I watched Marley and me.
Normally I just watxh a film and leave then the next 5 mins I forget about it but.
This film is so touching (I am a man)
It was a good comendy and easy to understand.
At the end where the dog gets puts to sleep I was crying so much I could not handle it.
I was screaming with angony because this film is so sad.
Prepare yourself....
Pack a hankey - Report as inappropriate
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- kieran said...
- Posted on Apr 25 2009 17:42 i have read the book and it is amazing it is a bit long but still amazing no wonder it was turn into a book
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- liam sloan said...
- Posted on Apr 20 2009 17:37 i have read this book and i burst out in tears it was really sad
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- Billy Bob said...
- Posted on Apr 17 2009 22:43 I havn't sen the film just yet but I am tomoz. Your comments have really helped me, so thanks.
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- ashleey said...
- Posted on Apr 17 2009 12:07 omg this film was soooo sadd at the endd :-( i criedd like alot :-\ its a reeli good moovie :-D definetly recommend you see it (:
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- ross and tracy said...
- Posted on Apr 16 2009 22:47 funny at parts, good film, sad at end if you're an animal lover x
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- iain said...
- Posted on Apr 15 2009 22:55 Went to watch this with my wife and while she thought it was ok, i found it pretty dull. For me the film has absolutely no substance to it. It seemed to just drift along without ever taking off. I also found the so called comedy moments highly unamusing as well. The only highlight for me was spending 2 hours staring at the gorgeous jennifer aniston.
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- Dave said...
- Posted on Apr 15 2009 12:22 My wife and I went to see the film just after the release - we had both read the book. The film was brill, we both enjoyed it. We told our daughter & her partner, they also enjoyed it. Everyone we have told who has watched the film have thoroughly enjoyed it. Watch the film, read the book!
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- jacob said...
- Posted on Apr 14 2009 23:33 i thought that the film was complete rubbish the biggest waste of money ever, very disapointed with it and would NOT reccomend to anyone.
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- lily said...
- Posted on Apr 14 2009 19:41 marley and me is such a good film i thought it was amazing best film of the year for sure .i loved it but pack some tissues cause it makes you cry i did !!!:(
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- lily said...
- Posted on Apr 14 2009 19:36 marley and me is such a funny and touching but it is very sad so pack some tissues i cried :(
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Cast & crew
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, Kathleen Turner, Alan Arkin, Eric Dane, Nathan Gamble, Haley Bennett full cast
Rated: PG
Duration: 115 mins
UK Release: Mar 13 2009
US Release: Dec 25 2008
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