Sunday, 5 March 2017

Marley and Me (2008 David Frankel)

Written by Scott Frank (Out of Sight, Get Shorty) and Don Roos (Single White Female) from journalist John Grogan's autobiographical book (one of his Labradors is one of the Marleys).

There's a fantastic sequence with Owen Wilson voiceover about what day to day life was like as a journalist and owner of crazy dog, but my favourite moment is the revelation that Marley has sat with his sick son for nine hours without moving. It's creditably no-nonsense, and serious, perhaps just the end veers into sentimentality.

Great line from Ireland: "He died in this room, actually. But not to worry - it's been re-papered."

And "Sometimes life gives you a better idea."

Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Alan Arkin, Eric Dane, Kathleen Turner, Clarke Peters. Shot by Florian Ballhaus and edited by Mark Livolsi.


Frankel directed The Devil Wears Prada, Hope Springs, One Chance, Collateral Beauty (not well reviewed).

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