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I invite everybody to participate in the weekly MEME and write about any movies, television or big screen, that you’ve seen over the past week and write about it.  Please feel free to use the above logo photo in your post and/or link back to the site.  I will post every Sunday Night or Monday Morning on the movie I’ve seen from the past week.  I’m hoping that there are other movie buffs out there who will enjoy the MEME as much as I’m hoping to!  The only small request that I have is that you rate the movie out of 5 bags of popcorn (so, 1 bag out of 5, 2 bags out of 5, and so on). 

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Movie:  Marley & Me

Starring:  Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Adaptation and Biopic

Runtime: 2 Hours 3 Minutes

MPAA Rating:  PG

Directed By:  David Frankel

I loved this book.  I wept when I read it and just thought the world of it.  Of course, I am the world’s biggest animal lover and the proud owner of Tori, the sweetest blonde bombshell of a yellow lab ever to grace the planet!  She’s honestly just the best dog EVER…. unlike Marley the best WORST dog that ever lived.  I could not wait to see it and proudly Fandango’d my tickets so that we were assured entry on Christmas Day.   The twins and I dressed up warm and scuttled out for the early evening show.

Sadly, I got a bit of theatre rage because there were, of course, those people who were holding an entire row of seats for people who are supposedly coming, but who are not there yet.  (Oh, and surprise, surprise… they never did make it and the people now have 4 of the best seats in the house for their jackets!  Merry Christmas.)  So, the only seats left, 20 minutes prior  to showtime, are in the front row.  This seemingly didn’t bother the kids at all and we separated: them in the front and me almost 1/2 way up.  I sat next to a relatively ill-mannered child and his mother who tossed her entire bucket of popcorn on the dude in the seat directly in front of her.  Then, she proceeded to tell the guy to “lighten up” because after all it’s “New Year’s Eve for Christ’s sake.”  OKAY-DOUGHKAY, SWEETHEART!  So… I’m sandwiched between the kid who keeps staring at me and plunking his elbow on my drink and the guy who just ate Christmas dinner and is burping up what smelled like some type of red beef flavored with a ton of garlic.  Ugh.  So much for my magical movie day.   But, it’s Marley and Me… I’m going to love it!

I had a lot of trouble focusing on the movie because that kid next to me was driving me INSANE the entire movie.  He just kept staring at me and staring at me… his little round face reflecting the glow of the movie screen.  I gave him my scary face, but nothing doing… he was not intimidated by me in the least.  I was stuck… no more seats left, not even in the front row.

Oh, yeah… the movie was good.  As I had read the book, I knew what to expect.  I didn’t remember certain elements of the movie that must have been in the book.  For example, I didn’t remember their careers being so instrumental in the book, but it has been such a long time since I read it.   I remember more funny antics out of Marley in the book that I didn’t seem to get enough of in the movie.  Perhaps they’d already put as much as they could in with a 2 hour runtime as it was.  But, I wanted MORE DOGGIE!  Like, when they see Marley’s Dad at the breeder’s.. that monstorous dog who kept running forever.  You just have to love it that they picked “the Clearance Puppy.”

My favorite scene is when Jen Grogan (Aniston) comes home after experiencing her miscarraige and John Grogan (Wilson) walks back into the living room to be with his wife and she is crying… Marley has quietly placed his head on her knee.  It was very endearing to see a woman’s best friend on-screen… or, at least for me.  When I feel horrible, my dog Tori is all that I ever need for a good cry.  I also liked the scene when Marley was up to his late-night, never-ending food frenzy and toilet-water drinking duty.  Just as he finishes up, he sits at Jen’s bedside just before she wakes up in labor with Patrick.  Very cute… dogs just sense these things.   OH… and LOVE Jen dancing with Marley.

Alan Arkin was endearing as Grogan’s boss and Eric Dane is as handsome as ever, although I don’t like his womanizing, “man on the move” character.  Boring!  He’s just entirely too handsome to be wasted on that “player” type… for me, that is!  Aniston is always so pretty and she looked great on-screen!  My friend, Jill, told me that it’s yoga that gives her that great shape.  I guess I’m going to have to sign up for yoga!  In any event, Aniston did just a lovely job and played the character “Jen” perfectly… just as it should have been played.  The casting of Owen Wilson as John Grogan… I’m not sure that I would have casted him for the part.  Truthfully, I think his brother Luke would have been a better typecast for the role.  In my mind, I pictured more of a mousy, brunette dude to play John Grogan.  But, Owen did fine and I always enjoy him.  The cast of “Marleys” were great.  I don’t know what happened to Kathleen Turner, but she looked awful…. perhaps that was intended… ???

Like every good book that has a movie, the book was far and beyond better than the movie.  However, for a good family film… especially for dog lovers… I highly recommend it!  Out of 5 bags of popcorn, genre comedy/drama… I give this:

Oh, and don’t forget the hankies… you will shed a tear if you have any heart at all…

P.S. I just found out that THE FRIENDLY BOOK NOOK is hosting a Marley and Me giveaway!  Check it out!

P.S.S. For a movie review on the movie Australia visit Bermuda Onion’s Weblog!

P.S.S.S. For another movie review on the movie Australia visit Life In The Short Lane!

P.S.S.S. and so on… For another movie review on the movie The Curious Case of Benjamin Button visit Literary Menagerie!

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