Starring: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston
Rating: PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language
Web site: marleyandmemovie.com
Dogs may be the real beneficiaries of "Marley & Me."
After pet owners see the adaptation of the John Grogan book, they may want to slip their four-legged family members some forbidden table scraps or chewies or take them for a nice long walk instead of hustling them outside as quickly as possible and waiting impatiently by the door.
But, as with the best-seller, "Marley & Me" is about more than a yellow Labrador that grows to nearly 100 pounds and manages to devour almost anything, from drywall and diapers to flooring and sofa cushions.
It's about the challenges of marriage and parenthood and juggling babies, deadlines and jobs -- office and stay-at-home -- and the occasional argument fueled by exhaustion, frustration and barking that wakes the children who just fell asleep at nap time.
As Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) says to husband John (Owen Wilson) after a particularly trying stretch, "No one tells you how hard this is going to be," or how much you have to give up. Or maybe they do and you don't listen.
As the Grogans, Aniston and Wilson manage to never lose their boyish or girlish figures and golden tans and hair highlights but they are cinematic stand-ins for couples everywhere who start off as twosomes and weather surprises, heartbreak and much happiness along the way.
The movie opens with the newlyweds vowing to trade snowy Michigan for someplace warm, which happens to be Florida, where they are hired as writers at competing newspapers. (No, this isn't a fairy tale, it's the early '90s when dailies were thriving and hiring.)
As a birthday surprise and to slow Jen's biological clock, John gets her a puppy he christens Marley in honor of reggae singer Bob Marley. The movie follows the couple's futile stab at training Marley and successful attempt at integrating him into their growing family and changing lifestyle.
If you've read the book, you know that the Grogans are like pet owners everywhere who must face the fact that their dogs are going to grow old. That element of the movie and what it brings are the most tender and tearful.
David Frankel, who directed "The Devil Wears Prada" and is the son of former New York Times columnist Max Frankel, directs the screenplay by Scott Frank and Don Roos. It eliminates a few elements from the book -- notably a second, somewhat more successful try at obedience training and a job that precipitates a move -- but remains remarkably faithful and also smartly conveys the passage of time.
In addition to the leads, the cast includes Alan Arkin as a gruff but supportive, wise newspaper editor and Eric Dane (McSteamy on "Grey's Anatomy") as a skirt-chasing globe-trotter whose freedom and immaturity stand in marked contrast to John's obligations and family joys.
Aniston and Wilson are a handsome pair with good chemistry, although the former "Friends" star isn't the most naturally maternal actress on screen. In the end, it's Owen Wilson and Marley -- all 22 of them sharing the role -- who will win and break your heart.
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