It's a flawed film. The story speeds along at certain moments and then inexplicably slows down at random points in time that don't seem to be too special. The focus on Owen Wilson and his career and his wife and family actually works pretty well, especially with Alan Arkin for the boss. Also the story about marley, and how a dog can kind of substiute for a kid, and the shenanigans they both get in to also works fairly well. But the two somehow become rather disjointed and don't work together fluidly. Also the ending was an obvious and obnoxious attempt to emotionally manipulate its audience, and while I knew that would happen, it still kind of annoyed me.
Despite all this I think it has a pretty sharp screen-play that adds in the right amounts of dry humor and necessary emotion (until the last 5 minutes) And solid performances not only from the moderately talented but very reliable leads, but also from the supporting staff (including the aforementioned Arkin, and Eric Dane, who are the only real minor characters.)
It has it's fair share of problems, but all things considered I enjoy the film, and I may have been irritated with the end, but that's not to say it wasn't an emotional sequence.
3/5

You need to see a therapist.

I watched it again and I loved it even more.
A

If this weren't based on a book that was a true story I may have found it a bit manipulative, but it would have been ridiculous if they adapted this guy's book and kept out this huge part. I won't disagree that it's a bit manipulative in the way it's shown, but I had no problem with that. That's how it is when a pet is put down. I liked that we went through the experience with Owen's character.

Anyway, I thought the movie was a great tearjerker. Sometimes it's nice to have a good cry, and this movie comes through in spades in that department.

I don't have a problem with the concept of a tearjerker, but more the common execution. I feel that almost all movies I see that try to make me cry become incredibly desperate. They drag those scenes on for hours while the rest of the movie is crisp and quick, and then the way they display the dramatic and sad scenes is usually not naturally dramatic at all, but instead obviously an attempt to make me well up. If a movie is naturally sad and makes people cry because of it, great, but I hate when films have to resort to their desperate and exaggerated attempts, it's like openly addmitting the film sucks unless you sob over it.
The Notebook was a good tear-jerker, ET was a great tear-jerker, as was bambi. This was a mediocre and mixed attempt.

I don't think the ending was manipulative, because the dog was a part of the family and if you read the book he was going to die anyway. animals do die. anyone with some form of intelligence also knew he was going to die at the end even if you haven't read the book. how can you be manipulated when you know its coming?

fwiw, the notebook is mediocre crap.

fwiw? nice.
It wasn't manipulative in the fact but the execution (can someone read back the scriptment? I could swear I'm repeating myself.)

fwiw is an acronym, loser.

You often speak of losers for someone who ought to fear ricochets.

Actually it is not an acronym as fwiw is not a word at all.

NASA is an acronym. F.B.I. is an abbreviation.

"Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial components in a phrase or name."

bunch of fucking idiots, you lot.

http://www.acronymfinder.com/FWIW.html

bitch, you're the fucker that's dying from severe head injuries. it's the reason why you use other people's posts more than create you own.

and please stop following me around.

How is fwiw pronounced? "feweew"? I have never heard it pronounced. Acronyms form words and fwiw is not a word, it is pronounced "f-w-i-w."

From the website you linked to:



Here are some other definitions:

Are you finally embarrassed by your own bullshit?

FWIW, is an acronym for For what it's worth. Because i should have originally written FWIW in capitals. and is pronounced in full sentence mode. Another example being, LMAO "Laughing my ass/arse off"

You are obviously use to the American Dictionary rules, which however is different to the Oxford English which I'm accustomed to in my own country, where the Oxford Dictionary recognises 3 types of acronyms. Ironically websters says there's four.



Also many dictionaries support (mostly non-US, mostly UK) that acronyms don't necessarily have to be pronounceable. egs: IEEE is an acronym for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, LRC is an acronym for Library Resource Center, and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). And because the latter, plus LMAO, LOL, FWIW, are basically a form of internet slang they have their own rules.

if the biggest crime is i didn't include CAPS then shoot me right now.

no, because it ain't. but are you embarrassed that you confused opera music with pop. because that's just bad Mr Verbose.

Haha, that is how you 'understood' it. You are sillier than I thought.

well considering 2 people thought "fwiw" was a word when written in singular form. maybe if i capitalized 'fwiw' we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Why not 'FWIIW'?

Like others in this thread, there were a few issues about the movie that annoyed me. I thought the pacing needed work and there were certain redundant elements that did little to develop the plot.

But I'd also say that there were a great many scenes the effectively, quietly dealt with issues with subtlety I absolutely did not expect from a Hollywood blockbuster. This movie had a strong sense of realism through it's characters, whom are played by two actors investing their roles with affection and emotion that I don't think many do in this kind of film.

In all, I was very surprised - this is becoming a popular trend for Jennifer Aniston movies, and I'm glad she seems to be taking on big flicks with a heart and some reality to the script. I loved her here, and Owen Wilson was very very good too. It didn't bludgeon you over the head with anything, any message, or any real arc, but that is what made it different.

I think for me though some movies just touch a nerve on such an emotional level that any criticisms i might have about the movie are dismissed and forgotten, Marley was absolutely one of these cases. If it didnt' have the emotional heart it did, then maybe it'd have gotten a B from me, but it worked BECAUSE it related the the audience on a level that few big comedies do.

Aniston is great here, she has a kind of emotional vulnerability that we've seen in her movie roles that was never shown too much in her TV work, and it works for me. Wilson's scene with Marley at the vets? That was some really fine work from every front.

Their kids were sweet and remarkably unassuming for child actors.

I'm going to be frank, i cried more than any movie i can remember here. My mum and I just sat bubbling uncontrolably for maybe 20, 25 minutes? The final act of this movie is so tactfully done, and is so dead on with the relationship between man and dog that you'd have to have never owned a pet at all to not feel here. Infact, even so, you'd have to just be heartless.

Jennifer Aniston is not becoming a comedy queen at all, she's becoming the fine artist of dramedy for wide audiences; and a great movie that makes someone laugh and cry will stay with someone longer than one that just does one of the above.

[A]

I like how relating and connecting to the audience has been reduced to "an attempt to emotionally manipulate them" when it's based on actual events and that is exactly why it works so well? People really do let their arrogance and sense of being an individual film critic dent the enjoyment of a great many big movies that are actually made with love and talent.

It's because its done with tenderness and a certain respect to the subject matter that audience members can relate to. It's heartbreaking to watch, absolutely, but it's real. Anyone who's had a dog put down before understands that, i recently had one of my dogs die in my arms at home. This movie touched an emotional nerve within me on that basis.

Calling Marley & Me emotionally manipulative is just the same as calling any other movie that, but here we have a true story backing it up, so it feels more genuine and less sly.

I cried like a baby at the end. B

Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston shine in this very heartwarming adaptation of the best-seller. While their performances, its all about Marley and this film really shows that even through all the struggles with a pet, they are still a wonderful edition to the family in every way. The last 15-20 minutes are a hard one to watch without some sort of sadness or grief especially for strong animal lovers or those who have experienced the event of having a dog or any other kind of pet. A cute and fun little film. B+

Cried. Like. A. Bitch.

A.