Don’t panic: There are still plenty of funny shots of the pup gnawing furniture or trying to escape a moving car. But beyond the high jinks lies a moving, realistic story of a couple (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) trying to balance work and children along with that big dog.

As such, this PG-rated film, based on the memoir by former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter John Grogan, might test the patience of younger kids. And the picture’s mature themes might also inspire some questions for parents.

Wilson, as gentle and soulful as he is funny, plays Grogan as a good-natured guy surprised by his own professional ambitions and slightly wary of the growing responsibilities of life at home.

Aniston doesn’t get as many light moments as Wilson, since Jenny Grogan is the one shouldering most of the household responsibilities. The often-serious nature of the role suits Aniston, still nimble with comedy but less frothy than she was during her “Friends” days.

When Jenny quits her job as a reporter to stay home with the children and then resists the constraints of her life, you see why John complains she’s never happy. By the same token, you can see Jenny’s frustration with a husband who spends several minutes each evening sitting in the car in the driveway, dreading the pressures of family life after a long day at work.

They’re both right and they’re both wrong, and the film, refreshingly, doesn’t judge either. “Marley & Me” allows its human as well as its canine characters flaws while delivering a nice message that dogs, like children and marriages, require commitment and work.

When John and Jenny, newly wed and just arrived in Florida from chilly Michigan, decide to adopt a pup, they don’t question why the woman at the adoption place offers Marley at a discount. Jenny just calls him her “clearance puppy,” and she and John adore the dog even as he chews through drywall and ingests things he really shouldn’t.

Director David Frankel and the film’s animal trainers used many dogs to play Marley at various ages. Yet the “character” of Marley, always highly affectionate as well as rambunctious, maintains a behavioral consistency throughout.

“Marley & Me” lasts about 20 minutes too long, with Frankel and screenwriters Scott Frank and Don Roos seemingly intent on giving Wilson, Aniston and the dog their due while also highlighting supporting players Alan Arkin and Eric Dane.

Arkin is wry as ever as John’s smile-phobic boss, and Dane carries his twinkle from his “Grey’s Anatomy” character, Mark Sloan, over to another womanizer – John’s single newsman buddy, who uses Marley as bait in attempts to pick up women.

These entertaining but conventional characters remind us this is a big studio film starring Aniston and Wilson, and that certain plot points need to be hit. But the complexity that “Marley & Me” offers within that format remains impressive.

credits: Sacremento Bee | Yahoo! Movies Singapore

Official Movie Poster

Singapore Date: 26th February 2009 Language: English Running Time: 115 mins Rating: PG Genre: Comedy Tagline: Heel the love Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson, David S. Goyer, Saiful Apek Directed by: David Frankel Company: Fox 2000 Pictures Singapore Distributor: 20th Century Fox iZone Rating: 6/10 Official Website : He’s Just Not That Into You

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