"Marley & Me" (2008) - Movie Review

A friend once said pets are an emotional masturbation. People who got offended, please when did masturbation become bad? Anyways, I have always thought that point across several times. And I concluded that any form of emotional extent in our life can be attributed to that. His view may be is that the emotion cannot be compared to the human relationship which I would strongly beg to differ. “Marley & Me” should be watched by him as he could understand the relativeness in a life of many attached to it.

I never had a dog but I grew up with couple. The first one called Jimmy, a nice active dog and it loved us unconditionally despite having a different master and a family too. So there it goes, the unconditional love from a being. That is truly a sign of desperation but life as such as a consecutive beckoning of those love from many, humans being the most prominent ones. “Marley & Me” is a story of course of the dog and the “Me” being the John Grogan (Owen Wilson). His dodge to the bullet of expanding the family from his lovely wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) brings Marley into their life.

Marley is a neurotic and constantly active dog. It runs off, chews materials indigestible by robots and basically ruining every possible worthy moments in the life of theirs. But as with the adoring nature towards this creature, it becomes that part of their life. The character staying there when they make memories when the time actually comes for both of them to begin their family. Yes it is a glowy fabulous life of a couple whose story of failure is done with so much optimism. It is cheery to see it though. Something natural comes out of it in the performance of its lead actors to have them this life which gets hold of them without waiting.

“Marley & Me” is good because it does not literally becomes the running prop for the film. It has characters building themselves around it. And in doing so without the knowledge we as the audience rarely notice how Marley creeps under our feelings as with the family. It is annoying as anything and in fact at one point Jenny after couple of kids asks to give it away. As all things push their limits, Marley does too and they take it as their role to stick on to continue doing what they have been doing pushing it harder than before.

Grogan is a journalist with a boss aptly played by Alan Arkin. To give a contrast of life his friend Sebastien (Eric Dane) a lone playboy adventurer journalist is given side by side along with John. Somewhere later in the film when their paths have gone far apart in distant and life, they meet again. Both of them share a moment in each others reminiscing the days they were together. Both have not changed and in a slightest way envy the lives of each others yet at the end of conversation are happy with what they have got. Moments like these makes “Marley & Me” a sensible film.

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston has to be thanked for their portrayal of this picture frame couple. Wilson being that average guy while Aniston the out of league lady for him but likes him for his casual outlook in taking things as it comes along. He has a philosophy of surprising himself and that becomes his motivating mantra for extending the arc of his skills, maturity and life. Alan Arkin as his boss is amicable, calmly cheerful and has that sense of understanding his people especially the ones he could smell the life he lived already.

I had a good time seeing the film. I entered with a not so good attitude in seeing it but came out happily. I am not going to lie about a little over the top emotions and cheerfulness in the film but it captures it perfectly. It attends to the moments in us where the regularity of this systematic living makes sense in those. The picture perfect family does make it the hardness worth it. It is a family film and works hard in making it balanced in all the emotions possible with as much optimism possible too. The thing is it is not on your face, always.