Marley And Me (PG)

Starring: Jennifer, Owen Wilson

It may have been a badly produced trailer, or even a lack of interest on my part, but the trailer for Marley and me didn’t do the film justice. I don’t know exactly what it was that put me off at first; I’ve always liked Jennifer Aniston, (Jennifer Grogan in the film) right through from her part in Friends to Bruce Almighty, and I hadn’t seen much of Owen Wilson (John Grogan) since Meet the Parents, so I didn’t have much reason to doubt the quality of the film.

The film begins with the marriage of John and Jennifer Grogan, two news reporters from Michigan who move to Florida in order to follow Jennifer’s ‘life plan’. In accordance to the plan, Jennifer suggests to her husband that they have a baby. With reservations about fatherhood, John turns to his colleague, Sebastian (Eric Dane) who advises him to adopt a dog. John heeds his advice and adopts the ‘clearance puppy’, who turns out to be a boisterous, ill-behaved dog that tears anything to pieces. Ironically, Marley’s bad behaviour lands John a job as a columnist, writing about everyday life.

Despite his initial doubts, John is ecstatic to find out that his wife is pregnant and they immediately begin to prepare for parenthood. However, in the early stages of the pregnancy, she loses the baby, leaving her utterly devastated and in need of a break. A trip to Ireland allows the couple to escape their hectic life, and start fresh with a healthy baby, aptly named Patrick. After the birth of second son, Conner and daughter, Colleen, Jennifer begins to show signs of depression as she becomes intolerant of both Marley and John. A move to Pennsylvania brings peace to the family, who live with Marley for many happy years, until he disappears one night and is eventually found, lying in the woods. The vet informs them that Marley has a twisted stomach and, due to his age, is unlikely to survive. John stays with Marley during his final hours, one of the most heart breaking scenes in the entire film. Marley is buried in the garden of the Pennsylvania house, where the family say goodbye to ‘The Clearance Puppy’.

Normally, I would do my best to hold back the tears, but it was clear that nobody else in the cinema was, so I gave in, and yet, I would be more than willing to watch it over and over again. I was pleasantly surprised by the partnership between Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson in this film, both of them portraying a very touching couple who make a superb film out of a story about regular family life. I’m sure their experiences with the dogs that played Marley were experiences that will never be forgotten. An excellent film, one which certainly requires a box of tissues for even the most insensitive of people.

By Zeus