I realize I'm more than a year late commenting on David Frankel's 2008 adaptation of best-selling memoir, Marley and Me, but to confirm: this is not a review. This is a warning. On a rainy day not too long ago, I resulted to movie watching on the couch. As the premium channel and On Demand selection was meager, I decided on Marley and Me as a low investment, blissfully uncomplicated, feel good pet movie. After all, one of my greatest loves in life is the canine species. Well, friends, this movie isn't at all for dog lovers. Quite the contrary, in fact. If you hate dogs so much to the point that you bask in the joy of witnessing their painful demise - then by all means - treat yourself to this film. For the remaining majority of soul possessing humans, I discourage you.
After the first scene showing the marriage of Marley's soon-to-be parents - John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) - R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People" plays over the opening credits. Frankel sure has one sick sense of humor. The idealist, nearly painfully cheery song is used in this film as nothing more than a tool of cruel, low-down irony.
The rest of the film is a parade of disgust and horror. Critics' proclamation that it's a nice holiday or family film is a sore misinterpretation. *SPOILER ALERT* For three fourths of the movie, the viewer gets acquainted with hell raiser Marley, grows to love him just as John and Jenny do, then in the last 30 minutes are assaulted with a hopeless, drawn out deterioration of the clueless and sweet Labrador leading up to his graphic death. As if the mere concept of putting an animal down when it comes his time isn't traumatic enough, they display the lethal injection on screen. PARENTS: DO NOT LET YOUR CHILD SEE THIS FILM. I REPEAT: THIS FILM IS NOT FOR CHILDREN.
As someone who is usually more distraught seeing an animal die in a film or reading about it in a book more than a human, I'd just assume do away with such stories all together. Marley and Me will join Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows on my personal list of banned movies/books. Okay, not really, but anyone else who seeks any of them out will be adequately warned.
I implore the MPAA to reconsider the PG rating of this film. I dare say Marley and Me is the saddest film since Sophie's Choice.
