Marley and Me Releases on DVD and Blu-Ray - Movie Review

Marley & Me with Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston on DVD and Blu-Ray March 31, 2009

Marley & Me, the hit movie for dog-lovers everywhere starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD on March 31, 2009. Based on the true story from New York Times best-selling novel from John Grogan, Marley & Me is predominantly a humorous movie about a family who learns important life lessons from their adorable, but badly-behaved dog.

Much of Marley & Me was very funny. The first half of the movie is a fun-loving romp as the Grogans adopt their clearance-sale yellow Labrador retriever puppy and take him home in order to give them a taste of parenthood. Right off the bat, Marley flunks obedience school, taught by none other than Kathleen Turner, who is great as a neurotic, over bearing dog trainer. It becomes apparent to the Grogans that Marley is the "world's worst dog" as Marley proceeds to continuously knock things over, jump on everyone, chew off dry wall, eat the sofa, chase the UPS guy, and have his way with everyone's leg... and poodles.

But Marley & Me takes a serious turn in the middle when the Grogans begin to fight as well as in a scene when a young neighbor is stabbed. While these scenes may have been necessary to develop the story line, the fighting scenes are shrill and harsh, and the tone of the movie changes dramatically at this point as Marley & Me tracks the Grogans through the ups and downs of life. Although the Grogans and the movie get back on track, the last part of Marley & Me deals with an aging Marley as the Grogan family comes to recognize that "the world's worst dog" has been their loyal companion through the good times and the bad, and has brought the best out in them all along.

The first half of Marley & Me is a light-hearted comedy, the second half is a more serious drama. Marley & Me is somewhat bi-polar, but it is a thought-provoking, often tender look at man's best friend.