Marley & Me (2008)

A family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog.

Director:

David Frankel

Writers:

Scott Frank (screenplay), Don Roos (screenplay)

Stars:

Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Eric Dane

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Owen Wilson	...	John
Jennifer Aniston	...	Jenny
Eric Dane	...	Sebastian
Kathleen Turner	...	Ms. Kornblut
Alan Arkin	...	Arnie Klein
Nathan Gamble	...	Patrick (Age 10)
Haley Bennett	...	Lisa
Ann Dowd	...	Dr. Platt
Clarke Peters	...	Editor
Finley Jacobsen	...	Conor (Age 8)
Lucy Merriam	...	Colleen (Age 5)
Bryce Robinson	...	Patrick (Age 7)
Ben Hyland	...	Conor (Age 5)
Sarah O'Kelly	...	Neighbor Mom (Nurse)
Keith Hudson	...	Big Guy

Storyline

After their wedding, newspaper writers John and Jennifer Grogan move to Florida. In an attempt to stall Jennifer's "biological clock", John gives her a puppy. While the puppy Marley grows into a 100 pound dog, he loses none of his puppy energy or rambunctiousness. Meanwhile, Marley gains no self-discipline. Marley's antics give John rich material for his newspaper column. As the Grogans mature and have children of their own, Marley continues to test everyone's patience by acting like the world's most impulsive dog.

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Plot Keywords:

canadian dog | canine | animal | man's best friend | pooch | 

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Taglines:

Their relationship wasn't going anywhere until one little thing tied it all together.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material, some suggestive content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Marley and Me

Filming Locations:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,367,586, 28 December 2008, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$143,153,751, 30 April 2009

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$244,082,376, 3 May 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Sunswept Entertainment

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

About seven minutes into the movie, Jenny is reading the Sun-Sentinel, the newspaper for which John works. Discussing his article, Jenny points out that they spelled John's name wrong. If you look closely, you can spot typographical errors on the back page, such as "dicounted" for "discounted" and the phrase "we are you [sic] appliance super store."

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Goofs

This goof is also in the trailer. When Marley is being taken to the vet, he is trying to get out of the car. He starts walking and his hind legs are in the car but in the next scene they are outside the car. They are then in the car and back out again.

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Quotes

Arnie Klein: There's gonna come a time very soon, when her ankles are gonna swell up, she's gonna have blotches all over her face, she'll be forty pounds overweight, she'll be throwing up all the time, she's gonna look at you and she'll say "You bastard! You did this to me!"
John Grogan: What happened to the glow, you know the...
Arnie Klein: There's no glow.

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Connections

Referenced in American Dad!: Old Stan in the Mountain (2012)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday
Written by Mildred J. Hill and Patty S. Hill (as Patty Smith Hill)

User Reviews

Memories of Old Yeller

Wild horses couldn't have dragged me to the theaters to see this movie but I couldn't say no to my nieces and they are the ones that selected the DVD. What a surprise and how dangerous to pre-judge. "Marley and Me" has, at least, 4 or 5 elements that put it way above other movies of its kind. It reminded me (without being similar) to a favorite of my own childhood "Old Yeller" and that alone placed me on a very special frame of mind. Jennifer Aniston surprised me. Her performance feels and sounds truthful and thoughtful. The mother of three who left behind a promising career to dedicate herself fully to her family, reeks of a familiar kind of pathology that Aniston takes all the way without allowing the acting get in the way. I believed her and that makes things work on all levels. Then, Alan Arkin, he creates a fully fledged character out of a clichè. He's wonderful. And Marley? The series of extraordinary dogs who played the arch of this unconventional creature, is a triumph of sorts. Some of the music and Marley running I could have done without and I must confess I wouldn't have cast Owen Wilson but that's just too small a problem to spoil the surprise this movie provides. Kathleen Turner plays a cameo as a dog instructor that provoked a gasp in the audience. She's closer to Shirley Stoler in "Seven Beauties" than to Geena Davis in "The Accidental Turist" Use your kids as an excuse to see Marley. It works.