Marley and Me (2008)

"Marley & Me gets so many of the details right, particularly in its final act, when it turns into a five-hanky weeper.  Connie Ogle, Miami Herald
"...[Arkin], as John's editor, is hilarious and dry--it's frankly a shame he's not onscreen for every single scene.  Jessica Reaves, Chicago Tribune
"Sweet and wise and often laugh-out-loud funny (just like Grogan's book), Marley & Me isn't just for dog people...  Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
"Wilson has a scene near the end with Marley that's the most wrenchingly tender acting of his career.  Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...always solid and often wry, Marley & Me is what it celebrates -- an amiable overachiever.  Rick Groen, The Globe and Mail

Editor's Note The filmmakers behind THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA take on another bestseller in the family film MARLEY AND ME. Based on the hit memoir by John Grogan, MARLEY AND ME chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) as they face the challenges of marriage and work to start a family. By their side is their beloved dog, Marley, who can chew through drywall, got kicked out of obedience school, and never met a leg he didn't like. The cute pup's antics come to signify the unexpected challenges that everyone faces in adulthood, and the film is ultimately a paean to unconditional love; others may see Marley as the "world's worst dog," but throughout it all, he proves to be the couple's most faithful friend. MARLEY AND ME plays like a modern day Norman Rockwell portrait with a little more bite, courtesy of the snark-friendly screenwriters and the title's wild mutt. The sets are sumptuous, with every shot lovingly lit to look like a Hallmark card. The winning lead performances help elevate the picture above its feel-good counterparts; Aniston is radiant and Wilson shows off sharp dramatic chops, giving some maturity to his loveable comedic persona. Alan Arkin gives a scene-stealing performance as Wilson's boss, and Kathleen Turner proves to be a great sport with her physically demanding cameo as Marley's obedience instructor. But in the end the picture belongs to the dogs, and for once that's a good thing. A film that keeps the audience cooing, cracking up, and crying, MARLEY AND ME is sure to become a family favorite.

	Eric Dane
	Owen Wilson
	Jennifer Aniston
	Alan Arkin
	Kathleen Turner
	Don Roos - Screenwriter
	Arnon Milchan - Executive Producer
	Stuart Wurtzel - Production Designer
	Mark Livolsi - Editor
	Joe Caracciolo Jr. - Executive Producer
	Florian Ballhaus - Director of Photography
	Theodore Shapiro - Composer
	Gil Netter - Producer
	Karen Rosenfelt - Producer
	Scott Frank - Screenwriter
	Cindy Evans - Costume Designer
	John Grogan - Source Writer
	David Frankel - Director

USA Today
"Wilson has the right combination of easygoing likability....Perfectly suited for the whole family." 12/26/2008

Los Angeles Times
"[T]here's an ease between Wilson and Aniston from the first frame..." 12/25/2008

Chicago Sun-Times
3 stars out of 4 -- "Wilson and Aniston demonstrate why they are gifted comic actors. They have a relationship that's not too sitcomish, not too sentimental, mostly smart and realistic." 12/23/2008

Box Office
4 stars out of 5 -- "[L]ovingly brought to the screen with broad humor and big tears....Families looking for an old-fashioned, all-purpose, comedy with heart will flock to this offering that's best described as a canine TERMS OF ENDEARMENT." 12/22/2008

Entertainment Weekly
"[T]he single most endearing and authentic movie about the human-canine connection in decades....It's also something more: a disarmingly enjoyable, wholehearted comic vision of the happy messiness of family life." -- Grade: A- 01/01/2009

Hollywood Reporter
"Wilson and Aniston nicely convey a compatible, loving couple who enjoy the challenges of parenthood....MARLEY & ME is a warm and fuzzy family movie..." 12/21/2008

Total Film
3 stars out of 5 -- "[O]nly the hardest heart will fail to summon a lump in the throat the size of a golf ball, shed a furtive tear and leave the cinema wanting to rub the ears of the first man's best friend they can find." 04/01/2009

ReelViews 8 of 10
By turns moving, funny, and honest, the film is a fitting adaptation of the book, condensing 13 years worth of experiences into two hours. Although the style of director David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada) is manipulative, one can forgive him for most of the heartstrings he plucks. While Marley & Me is more than just a three-hankie weeper, it's more in the nature of comfortable, accessible entertainment than high art...The screenplay, by Scott Frank and Don Roos, two of the best in the business, make sure that Marley & Me is never too cute. There's a tendency to turn "dog movies" into cuddly family affairs but, even though this movie is rated PG, it has an adult perspective. Marley & Me is as much about making a marriage work, struggling through the difficulties of having multiple careers and multiple children, and fighting a mid-life crisis as it is about the 100 pound Labrador Retriever...The leads, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, are best known for lightweight comedies, so it may come as a surprise that this is not in that genre. That's not to say Marley & Me is as fun as a visit from the Grim Reaper, but it is predominantly serious. The humor, most of which is low key, comes out of everyday situations, much like the comedy we all find in our day-to-day world. The material fits Wilson and Aniston effectively, and they do the screenplay justice...One doesn't have to be a dog lover (I'm not one) to appreciate the movie. It's as much about love and family as it is about the specific kind of pet. The movie's themes are universal and its anecdotes feel more real than scripted...Marley & Me is a crowd-pleaser, and deservedly so. It's an enjoyable and unpretentious perspective of life that reminds us how important and rewarding the little things can be. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
There was a real Marley. He belonged to John and Jennifer Grogan, and was the subject of a 2005 best seller that has been adapted into this film. I hope the book earned enough to pay for Marley's overhead. Marley has the behavior pattern of a manic wrecking crew and the appetite of a science-fiction monster, but you gotta love him. At least, the Grogans gotta love him. They may be as crazy as their dog..."Marley & Me" is a cheerful family movie about a young couple starting out in life with a new house, new jobs, a new dog and then three children, who the dog doesn't eat, or the movie wouldn't be rated PG. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston play the Grogans as brave and resourceful...This may be the first family film I've seen that will frighten more adults than children. The Marley kids, Conor, Patrick and Colleen, all love Marley. Their parents are appalled. At one point, Jennifer actually despairs and tells John that either the dog goes or she does. No, actually, she doesn't force him to choose. She's outta there. But she relents and returns to the doggie from hell. The thing about Marley, see, is that he has an uncanny way of knowing exactly when to pause in eating the garage and gaze soulfully upon his masters with unconditional love...When Marley is not on the screen, Wilson and Aniston demonstrate why they are gifted comic actors. They have a relationship that's not too sitcomish, not too sentimental, mostly smart and realistic. That's because she plays a newspaper reporter, too. Marley would have been a welcome break after a day in the riotous city rooms of the good old days. In today's city rooms, reporters hide in their cubicles praying to escape extermination. I say lock Scrooge in a cage and throw in Marley. - Roger Ebert