Over the years movie studios have marketed films to families that weren’t true “family films”. The worst example of that from 2008 was”Marley and Me”, which is now out on DVD and the stduo is doing the same thing.
The movie is adapted from the very popular book. Owen Wilson stars as John Grogan, a newspaper reporter who becomes a popular columnist. His wife (played by Jennifer Anison) is a reporter for another paper. They get a puppy and name him Marley, and the dog immediately starts destroying their house by tearing-up and eating everything.
The story follows the lives of the couple as they start a family, move and change jobs, and the life of Marley, who grows-up but continues to be a crazy dog. The plot is not very interesting. The acting is O.K. Alan Arkin gives the best performance as John’s boss at the paper.
Here’s the main problem with “Marley and Me”: It’s NOT A FAMILY FILM. Yes, its’ rated PG, but there are a lot of romantic scenes that are inappropriate for kids. And there are adult issues that children shouldn’t be exposed to.
But the main thing that parents should be aware of is that the last 30-minutes of the movie is incredibly sad and disturbing as we see Marley slowly dying. If you are an adult pet lover this will likely bother you as well, but no kids should be exposed to the endless scenes of Marley getting sick, getting put to sleep and then being buried.
20th Century Fox’s strategy to pass “Marley and Me” off as a cute, family film for the holidays got a lot of kids into the theater. And their parents were shocked over what their kids saw. Don’t make the mistake. This movie should have been PG-13 and I think no one under 14 should be allowed to see it…for their own good.
On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, “Marley and Me” gets a C for adults. If you’re a pet lover and don’t mind be totally depressed then give it a shot. But, remember, No KIDS!
The MPAA (which rates films) needs to be much more strict on films such as “Marley and Me” and the studios shouldn’t be allowed to fool the public with trailers that make a film look like a fun, family movie when it isn’t.