3.5 Lloyd’s - Cautionary Family-Friendly
PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language.
Marley & Me is based on the New York Times bestselling autobiographical book by journalist John Grogan. Told in first-person narrative, the book, which was published in 2005, follows Grogan and his family’s life during the 13 years they lived with their dog Marley, a yellow Labrador Retriever. The book turned big screen box office hit finds Owen Wilson playing Grogan, with Jennifer Aniston portraying his wife Jenny.
Marley & Me is the story of a couple embarking on the adventure of marriage, career and family, while also owning the world’s worst dog. At least that’s how Grogan describes his blonde lab Marley after taking the puppy home and discovering the fluff ball has the ability to eat and/or destroy just about anything.
There’s More To This Movie Than Meets The Eye
The previews for Marley & Me do not reveal a lot about this movie. I was sure this was nothing more than another chick-flick with Jennifer Aniston tossed in as eye-candy for the guys. While this is a movie about the life of a newly married couple as they journey through life, the central figures are not the humans. No, instead, as the title of the movie says, it’s about a dog named Marley. Originally purchased as a way to take his wife’s mind off of having kids, the strong, powerful, endlessly hungry, eager to be active and often destructive of their property Marley, quickly becomes a part of the family. Even after kids do enter the picture, the 100 pound Marley is still a very important part of the Grogan family.
Marley & Me clocks in at exactly 2 hours. While the movie does not lack for action, it does have somewhat of a laid-back pace to it as it chronicles the life of the Grogan family with Marley. There are great laughs along the way, but I still found the movie a little long. I found my mind wandering from time to time trying to connect the pieces of three careers outlined in the movie. But, this by no means makes for a bad movie. If you find your mind wandering, have no fear, another scene is on the way which will pull you right back into the story.
There are also some incredible life lessons woven into the fabric of Marley & Me. Through the love and devotion of a dog, we also discover the importance of love and devotion in our human relationships. We live in a world where too many people jump ship when the going gets tough. But in the midst of the trials of marriage, we discover the Grogan’s never considering divorce. They realize no one ever said it would be easy, and they’re determined to stand by one another, no matter what.
Marley & Me really falls into the category of a feel-good-movie. There’s much fun and laughter here. There’s also the stark reality of the bumps of life and how we not only lean on one another, but also lean on our pets for comfort along the way. The fact that it’s relating the story of a real life journey means we can quickly make our own life connections too. Marley & Me is a wonderful look at life, through the eyes of a dog, and through the eyes of a family who loves their dog. A dog is always happy, no matter what. He’s always there to love you, he’s always there to play with you. He loves unconditionally, and trusts totally. No matter what.
As a matter of fact, when the movie finished, I rushed home to give my puppy dog a great big hug!
Marley & Me carries a PG rating, but we’re still saying it’s cautionary family-friendly. While there’s no major nudity scenes, or loud cursing and swearing, there are still a few portions of the movie which slide it into the cautionary area for a PG movie. Had the filmmakers tagged this with a PG-13 rating, we would have said it’s fully family-friendly. So, as you ponder the age group for the movie, keep that in mind.
Enjoy the show!
Dr. Rus
Originally Posted on Frame by Frame: A Family-Friendly Guide To The Movies Blog
