Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Movie Review: Marley & Me

I was thinking yesterday & I came to the conclusion that rather than sitting at home all day sometimes when I don't have work, I will go to movie matinees. There are so many movies out that I want to see & everyone is always too busy to come, so why not? Now, before I review the movie I am going to tell you my film critic guidelines, since I am hoping to get discovered as the next Roger Ebert in the very near future.

I'm not going to give it a thumbs up rating or stars or anything like that. I am basing it on a grading system, such as in college with letter grades. A+ is an option (& so is an F- in rare cases such as When Mars Attacks.) My criteria include, but are not limited to acting, direction, costumes, set design, musical score, continuity, concept, etc. Also does the movie make you feel what you're supposed to feel? And obviously, the overall movie experience. Now onto the review...
Marley & Me was a love story, of sorts; it was a movie about unconditional love. It's not going to win any Oscars or major awards but for any dog lover, it gives you a movie that makes you want to go home & hug your dog (which is precisely what I did when I got home.) The concept of the movie was very simple but enjoyable. It was about a family that had a dog. Basically, that's the end of the story. It showed the trials & tribulations of having a pet & what we go through for them. If you don't have a dog, you will probably enjoy the movie but not quite understand it, the way a dog owner would.

Watching it, you can tell that Jennifer Aniston & Owen Wilson are definitely dog people. They interacted really sweetly with the dog & they were very good at their parts. On the other side of that coin, they weren't exactly challenging roles to play. Costumes, sets, etc. were all nice but nothing all that original or complicated. I did enjoy the scene where Owen & Eric Dane were in Coconut Grove & went to Monty's, though! It was never mentioned as the name of the place but having been there/sat at the very table they sat at, I obviously knew where it was. They also captured the South Florida thunderstorms very true to form.

As far as whether or not the movie made me feel what it was supposed to, job well done. It was cute, it made me laugh & it made me cry. There was a part at the end that was really cheesy (hint, it involves a necklace) but other then that, I found it heart-warming. It's a very relatable movie, especially the parts like letting the crying puppy into your bed or the way the dog interacted with the kids. If you're going on a first date, don't see this movie. Overall, I liked it. I recommend watching it at home while snuggling with your dog, though & not at the movie theater because not only will you be surrounded by crying strangers but also all you'll want to do is hug your dog.

Grade: B

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