Marley & Me

**Spoiler Alert: You'll probably be able to figure out the end of this movie after reading this blog.

I have a boy-and-his-dog complex. As a child, I cried at the end of Where the Red Fern Grows. I also cried at the end of Old Yeller. I suppose I don't have to tell you where this is going.

A few days after Christmas, my family and I went to see Marley & Me, a film starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. While the movie has been met with mixed critical reviews, I enjoyed the film, in large part because of my attachment to canines.

The movie begins with a just-married John Grogan (Wilson) and his wife Jennifer (Aniston) as they begin their lives in South Florida working for the Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post newspapers. Both desire to start a family but their employment makes this a difficult proposition, so John, on the advice of his bachelor friend Sebastian, surprises Jennifer with a labrador puppy to preoccupy and redirect her desire for children. All the results of a rambunctious puppy coupled with a lack of training ensue.

I enjoyed the film for several reasons. First, it was nice to see familiar surroundings, as I grew up in the same area as the Grogans live in the first 2/3rds of the movie. Additionally, both Kristen and I resonated with the film because we could identify with the circumstances of the characters. After all, we are young, married, and currently have a puppy as our only child.

The film is as much about John's reluctant trajectory into adulthood as it is about a misbehaving furball, but that didn't bother me since the film is Marley & Me, not My Dog Marley. I felt that the recounting of the Grogan marriage was an honest and fair portrayal of what it is like to travel through various life stages. My brother Matthew didn't feel that Aniston and Owen had much on-screen chemistry, but I saw it another way: their marriage had romantice and passion, but it was also filled with long days and tiresome responsiblities. I appreciated that their marriage was portrayed as difficult and joyful, and their arguments at several points reminded me of some of my less-than perfect moments.

I won't go into detail, but the ending of the film was both expected and difficult, though it didn't fall victim to the new puppy cliche of many life-of-a-dog films. I'll just say that I felt the same way about this ending as I did about the endings of Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows. While the movie isn't Oscar material and certainly has several silly points, it's a good film with a rich and meaningful ending, and I would recommend it. Just bring the tissues.