On Christmas Day, my children and I went to see the movie Marley and Me about John Grogan and his family's life with "the worst dog ever". I had read the book a few years ago, shortly after the time my beloved Barney passed, and had enjoyed the trials and tribulations in the all-too-short life of this crazy dog. My children knew I had read the book and wanted to see it, loving dogs nearly as much as I do.
The movie is quite good and the acting very believable. Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson were well cast. It also held pretty true to the book which was good. It did cover their lives as much as Marley which makes it a good film for adults but probably less interesting to children raised on animation. Mine still enjoyed it, but I think they would have liked it even more as the canine version of Jackass (a movie about grown men doing stupid human tricks).
The death scene was tasteful but could be difficult for younger children. Mine were not upset by it - they knew it was coming and had faced it themselves with their own dog. It gave them a glimpse into Barney's final moments. I think I was the only one who cried, and cried I did.
So my review is a thumbs up, but take older children (8-10 years and older), preferably those that have already experienced the loss of a pet.
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