#62. Cinema : Valentine’s Day with Marley

01hb Februari, 2009
News Strait Times

IN the upcoming comedy Marley and Me (scheduled to open in cinemas nationwide on March 5), Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson star as newlyweds Jenny and John Grogan. Planning to start a new life in West Palm Beach, Florida, they leave the bitingly cold Michigan immediately after their snowy wedding day.

The couple work as journalists at local newspapers and to prepare for a family, John decides to adopt a puppy Marley, a cute 5.4kg yellow Labrador.Before the Grogans know it, Marley grows into a 45kg problem.

He flunks obedience school, takes a bite out of the sofa, overturns garbage cans, steals a Thanksgiving turkey, consumes pillows and flowers, drinks toilet water and chases the UPS guy.
Even a newly-purchased, expensive necklace isn’t safe from Marley’s voracious antics.

It is through Marley’s eyes that the audience will sees the Grogans through their ups and downs as a family.

For John and Jenny, Marley may seem like the world’s worst dog but thanks to the canine, they see themselves better.

Directed by David Frankel and based on the book by John Grogan, the comedy also stars Eric Dane and Alan Arkin.

New Straits Times readers stand a chance to watch the show in an exclusive sneak preview at the Golden Screen Cinemas on Feb 15 and win other exciting prizes including a dinner for two on Valentine’s Day in this contest. Details on the contest are available in today's New Straits Times.

“Marley and Me is not a dog story,” says Grogan in the movie’s production notes.

“I saw it as a growth-of-a-family story, with the dog being a catalyst. It’s a comedy with a poignant side to it.”

Frankel agrees: “The story is about the highs and lows of being young and in love and encountering the challenges of marriage. It also deals with the dreams that get sacrificed for the joys of children, and about the challenges of balancing career and family.”