I used to have a dog. She was called Tess, and she was a cross between a labrador and a collie. A lollie, if you like. Or a cabrador.
Anyway, she was awesome. A totally loyal, totally loveable creature who inevitably became a fully fledged family member. She had big floppy ears and a very long suffering nature, which was perfect because she was constantly surrounded by children who pulled her tail, pushed her over and chased her around the place.
One day she was standing near the fire, and a yelp was heard. She'd been paying no attention and put her tail in the fire. She had a big burnt bit on the end of her tail until the day she died. She might've been a bit of a dumbass, but boy did I love that dog.
I went into Marley and Me thinking that the dog would be more of a side character, but he was the focus of the film from start to finish. He was used as a window onto the turbulent lives of his owners (played by Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson), and it wasn't until towards the end of the film that I found myself warming towards the dog's character.
Anyway, she was awesome. A totally loyal, totally loveable creature who inevitably became a fully fledged family member. She had big floppy ears and a very long suffering nature, which was perfect because she was constantly surrounded by children who pulled her tail, pushed her over and chased her around the place.
One day she was standing near the fire, and a yelp was heard. She'd been paying no attention and put her tail in the fire. She had a big burnt bit on the end of her tail until the day she died. She might've been a bit of a dumbass, but boy did I love that dog.
I went into Marley and Me thinking that the dog would be more of a side character, but he was the focus of the film from start to finish. He was used as a window onto the turbulent lives of his owners (played by Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson), and it wasn't until towards the end of the film that I found myself warming towards the dog's character.
You meet him as a tiny puppy, the 'runt' of the litter. And of course he's ridiculously cute. But as he grows up, Marley becomes wild and destroys everything he touches, and he's portrayed as exactly the kind of dog you wouldn't want to have. Although the film continues to centre around him, this disconnect from Marley as a character leads you to look to his human counterparts for some depth in the movie.
Depth that you don't really find, but it is quite enjoyable watching them make the big decisions in their lives, make big mistakes and mistakenly plop out more kids than they had planned to.
The movie really comes into its own towards the end, as you begin to see old age taking its toll on Marley. It's not that it's fun to watch an animal succumb to its weakened state (it's exactly the opposite in fact), but it brings out the other characters as they struggle to cope with watching him deteriorate.
I won't say anything else about the end of the film, but I was blubbering like a girl at points. It really brought home how strong the bond between animals and their owners can be, it reminded me strongly of how much I loved my dog and detested watching her grow old, and on the basis of that I would recommend it for others to see. It's a popcorn movie, nothing spectacular about it - it's just good fun to watch.
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