Marley & Me

I admit it. Frankly, I don't see how anyone would expect any less from a cold hearted movie dork such as myself. It's a badge I wear proudly and in wearing it the expectation is simple. Before I even start the film I already know that I will hate a movie like Marley & Me.
And early on the film does not disappoint. The film opens with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson running through snow covered streets as newly weds. It's early spring in southern Michigan so a freak snow storm is actually the norm. What is not the norm is to see two people so ridiculous tanned that you wonder if either actor could even find southern Michigan on a map.
To aid in their overly tanned existence the newly weds move to Miami and begin working for separate newspapers. The central figure here is Owen Wilson who wants to be a serious news reporter and is doing stories on speed bumps when his boss offers him an opportunity to slum it and start writing columns. Around this time Wilson also allows his best buddy to talk him into getting a dog in order to put off having a kid. Yup, because that makes so much sense.
The hyperbole that exists once Marley arrives is a bit nauseating. The film is selling us on the idea that Marley is the world's worst dog and the film makers are almost gitty in their approach to beating the audience senseless with this idea. To survive and even thrive amidst this adversity, Wilson begins to focus many of his columns on Marley. We are treated to a montage in which Wilson dryly covers many events in his life and the ways Marley has provided a notable catastrophe.
This brings us nearly 45 minutes or an hour into the movie when something strange happens. Wilson and Aniston have one kid, and another and another and we see this family develop and the films tone changes from a movie about the world's worst dog to a movie about family that is actually pretty nice. Wilson struggles with what he wants out of his career, Aniston adjusts to life as a full time mom and I actually find the film improving by leaps and bounds at this point. The hijinks are dialed down and we get to see this family grow together and take on more meaningful life experiences than preventing a dog from peeing on a dog beach.
The family eventually moves to a suburb of Philadelphia and some of the films most poignant moments come from seeing the children react to the family dog getting sick and eventually passing away. It's something that everyone who has ever owned a dog can easily relate to and is done very effectively here.
The film is based on a book/memoir of the same name that my wife is a fan of. In both mediums the audience is trying to be sold that this is the worst dog ever, but in an endearing way. I can't speak for the book but I will tell you that this aspect of the film is boorish and cumbersome. This film adds nothing new to the bad but lovable dog category of films that has absolutely no need for any new entries. But, if you find yourself watching this film stick it out. Eventually the film dials down the bad dog routines and the family aspects of the film are actually somewhat enjoyable to watch. This film is far from a must see but it has at least earned to right not to be hated. Which for a guy who lately has only wanted to watch films were stuff goes BOOM is nothing short of a miracle.