Following The Devil Wears Prada, director David Frankel together with his team created a close resemblance of the characters as described in the memoir of John Grogan, but also characters that would work on a big screen.
Marley was played by 22 dogs, including his puppy years and spanning over more than a decade’s transition. There were strictly no special effects or special makeup used in making this movie, so perhaps that’s why Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston did not age at all over the years, even after her third baby.
In the acting department, there’s not much to fault or cheer about. Everyone was good enough to make their roles likable; though “tamed†would be the word that comes to mind.
Wilson was most mellow when compared to his other movies and lost some of his sparks. Aniston was more careful but ended up delivering one of her best on the big screen. Eric Dane was not much different from his stint on Grey’s Anatomy as the career-successful man-whore. And Alan Arkin as the editor gave off his usual curmudgeon impression.
What’s great about this story was that the episodic incidents that happened in the Grogan’s lives look, and feel, real and relatable. Frankel and company injected little nuances to make certain scenes even more personal and that really made a difference.
The production was not over the top, but not great. Frankel took more caution on details where they counted. The clever shots of two filled wine glasses on a low table where Marley suddenly had one of the all-too-often let-loose antics really gave the audience a good cringing moment.
However, the movie in general may not hit the mark where it should have. Its no-brainer target audience – dog owners – may not get enough of the “pet†side of things as the story explores a lot more on the Grogans’ ups-and-downs instead.
Which is why, for the pet-less audience, it’s a good story that’s well told and enjoyable. And even if you don’t own a pet, you may just leave the cinema emptying your tear ducts… and then going to the animal shelter next.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7 / 10
(all images from imdb.com)
