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3 stars***

No, dog lovers, this is not just another dog movie, it’s two stories that become one. It is about a great Labrador dog (Marley) and his (almost) entire life living with, and as a major part, of a loving family. More prominently, it’s about the shifting lives of two single people right through changing jobs, moving homes and having three children and all that goes with going from late twenties to life’s forties.

It’s about the lessons a Labrador can teach a family, like one for all and one for all. Like being a family unit, not all out just for themselves. Like bonding together in times of stress and trouble and all having fun when they can. Like little accidents are just little accidents, not the start of world war III. Like teaching forgiveness.

While it took 22 dogs to play Marley at different stages, it only took one Jennifer Aniston who looks great across the fourteen year span. She’s a very under rated actress, mostly remembered for ten years at ‘Friends,’ but now also with a 20+ movie back catalogue. She’s the variety of quality actress where you don’t appear to notice her acting; she appears as the part she’s playing.

If you weren’t close to shedding a tear at the end of this movie, then you haven’t a heart.

The final scenes when Marley drifts off to sleep in the vet’s examination room are performed so well, they are precisely realistic. I know, I’ve been there and got that t-shirt. I wondered how they’d deal with this scene, given the age range of the expected audience. At best I thought they’d cut it short, but the director gave us the full power of that scene: the time to say goodbye to a loved and faithful friend. The scene appeared to continue for a long time, but it was matched by not exploiting the scene and showing a part of life’s responsibility that you take on, when you have a family dog.

John Grogan wrote the original book about his life with Marley and here writers Scott Frank and Don Roos give it a good screenplay treatment. David Frankel’s direction is spot on. He could have made the dogs scenes more over the top, but then this wasn’t a Disney movie, so he chose just the right level of dog funny moments v family interaction.

Sales of $150 million at the box office suggest that this is a popular movie, but I would suggest an age barrier on the cinemas. Some of the coarse language, suggestive language and the scene of Marley’s last vet visit were unsuitable for under 10’s. We know they have to find their way in the world, but we don’t need them to grow up too early. Let them be children and worry about life’s problems if and when they come across them, not forced on them by seeing this movie if they’re too young.

I hope cat lovers go and see the movie, even though your loved ones didn’t even get the slightest mention this time around. Marley didn’t even get to chase a cat!

Here’s a few labs on Flickr

Most importantly of all, here’s our Jodie; fifteen years, three months and five days as a part of our family.

Popularity: 7% [?]