User Score
6.5 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 108 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 74 out of 108
  2. Negative: 23 out of 108

Review this movie

  1. Your Score
    10 out of 10
    Rate this:
    out of 10
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  3. Characters remaining: 5000 out of 5000

  1. Oct 8, 2011
    4
    "Marley & Me" tries extremely hard to tear up the audience with its 'Marley'. The problem is that the film consistently opens a tedious tone with absolutely nothing significant or impressive until to the end. Its just like being in school, listening a lecture from a monotonous teacher. Nothing's really great about it.
  2. DarylK.
    Jan 2, 2009
    1
    This movie was a major dissapointment...suffers from poor editing and could have left at least 30 minutes on the cutting room floor. It just drags (ok we get it he's a dog with attitude and he will die but get on with it). The screenplay was bland and will Owen and Jennifer looked great there was zero chemistry. A wasted opportunity with this film.
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  3. DustinN.
    Apr 7, 2009
    10
    I think this is a good movie with a good cast of characters and a cute dog.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. ShawnG.
    May 15, 2009
    8
    My wife laughed at me because I cried at the end. I may be 38 years old but I'm human. While growing up, I made three trips to the Vet to put our dogs to sleep. They were sad trips filled with tears and deep seated emotions. This is life and the movie depicts just that. Dogs are often our best friends. To quote one scene in the movie: at the finish of Owen's surprise b-day party he says to Jennifer, "Who were all those people? I don't have any friends!?" It was Marley who was his friend in the movie. Dogs really are our best friends. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. DominicS.
    Dec 30, 2008
    9
    A warm, and all around great family film. But just to warn dog lovers, the ending will definatly make you cry. I would still recommend it though.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. CaitlinK.
    Jan 10, 2009
    9
    Sad, but SOOOOO good.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. ZachNewberry
    Jan 12, 2009
    8
    I know an 8 isn't a ten, but I try to rate movies reallistically and therefore I don't believe I've ever given out a ten. That being said, an 8 is extremely high in my book. I took my girlfriend to see Marley & Me opening night. In short, this movie blew me away. Humor, drama, love, loss, it's life. The story and characters are all perfectly believable and pull you in very well from the start [***SPOILER WARNING***] which I believe is why Marley's death in the end left everyone in the packed theater, including myself, in tears. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. Fletcher
    Jan 2, 2009
    3
    This movie was falsely advertised. I was expecting a comedy, this was boring boring boring. I kept waiting for something to happen, and it didn't. If I had gone into it knowing what it was (based on accurate advertising), I may have enjoyed it more, but it was nothing but a disappointment. I strongly dislike movies that are advertised as something they're not.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. RichardR.
    Jan 2, 2009
    9
    The movie was a subject everyone can relate to. It was the tear jerker of 2008. Excellent !
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. AlC.
    Jan 4, 2009
    8
    I thought it was a good and solid film. When it was sappy, it had funny bits. I loved it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. kale567toyou
    Jan 4, 2009
    1
    Went to see it for free. If you can't, DON'T! This was worse than Bedtimes Stories.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. CeliaB.
    Jan 4, 2009
    7
    Wasn't amazing. But still really worth it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. dggggW.
    Jan 4, 2009
    10
    This was an amazing movie, sure it was dreary. But no, it still made me cry and laugh. This is like that Curious Case movie, life is full of surprises, and in a dog's life, things happen in it to cause some sort of situation.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. JamesB
    May 4, 2009
    10
    Yes, the film was advertised as a comedy and it should have been rated PG-13. However, the movie was deeper than any "pet" movie that I've ever seen. In actuality, the "real" story was about a man growing up from young adulthood into the next phase of his life. Of course, to get to that next phase of your life, decisions have to made about where you live and work and even what friends you keep (as in the best friend in the movie). The death of his beloved dog coincided with his life's journey into middle adulthood. I can relate. I had my lab for 12 years. She was with me as I finished college, got my graduate degree, got married, and had three kids. My lab died shortly after my third child was born - just like in the movie. If you look at it from my point of view, it would be a great film to show developmental psychology students. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. JohnS.
    Dec 28, 2008
    10
    If you've been there...you would understand just how close to reality this movie was. I've been there! It truely moved me.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  16. AlliL.
    Jan 1, 2009
    9
    I love this movie! it was so good. - it was funny and sad and i think everyone should watch it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  17. TonyO.
    Jan 15, 2009
    5
    I hate to sound like a curmudgeon, but this movie is not that great. Yes, it deserves points for good acting (Jennifer Aniston takes the honours, much to my surprise) and yes it deserves points for being reasonably light-hearted and a bit sensitive about real topics that have some bearing on real people's lives (family, love of animals, work pressures, frustrated career options, post natal depression). Not that many big screen movies these days make much attempt to deal with these sorts of issues, and it is not badly done. But this still looks like a Hallmark movie to me. For one thing, it is gratingly manipulative in OTT ways that I have not had to think about since they put a bullet into Old Yeller. And the directing was pretty ho-hum, especially when we had the interminable sequence of rapid voiceover by Owen Wilson about the minutiae of his daily life. And the vision of middle class life in America was pretty cloying as well. I do not really know what non WASP people in America think when they see a movie like this, but I imagine they might well wonder how a family struggling in a small house in a crime ridden suburb in Miami can somehow seamlessly make the transition to a green acres mansion in the North-East. And worst of all was the dog. I know it is only a movie, and it is a bit harsh to criticise a dog that is faithful, long lived and integral to family life. But the damn thing was also a rogue male, and probably dangerous. Offhand, on the evidence of this movie, I would have said the dog deserved to be put down about 8 years before the end of the film. Or rather, its owners should have been. We all love dogs, but to suggest that it is somehow OK to keep animals that are a public nuisance just because someone or other loves them is a bit rich. Spare some thought about that rather large group of people whose lives have been seriously set back or even destroyed because there are irresponsible pet owners who just can't be bothered to control their animals. The film skates over that side of things a bit. There is lots of running away, lots of references to pooping in public areas, but not too much about the real implications of keeping uncontrollable animals around small children. So, overall, as a movie it was a bit dull, and more than a little irresponsible. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  18. ChicholinaF.
    Jan 2, 2009
    2
    WARNING: this movie’s rating should be PG 13. You don’t need a PHD in Developmental Psychology to know that children who have just received their Christmas gifts from Santa are not at the age to be exposed to a heavily sexually charged movie as Marley and Me. $hame on you MPAA.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  19. MattA
    Jan 2, 2009
    6
    By all means, not a terrible movie...just not as deep or fulfilling as the book probably was. The dog was adorable, and the final scenes were indeed touching. However, i can't help but feel forced into those emotions, and not really care about the other characters in the film. Owen Wilson was charming, and so was Alan Arkin...but everybody else was totally upstaged by the dog. If you love dogs and want a good weeper about one, then see this...but if not, just read the book. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  20. MitchS.
    Jan 31, 2009
    1
    What a waste of money this movie was. And please explain to me how Aniston gets so much work, she's awful.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  21. CAE.
    Jan 4, 2009
    8
    A must-see family film. Very moving and helps to put life, and those things that are REALLY important, into perspective.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  22. Jasmin
    Jan 8, 2009
    9
    I thought the movie was funny, but realistic. It portrays the couple as a "real" couple with worries and stress like everyone else. The relationship they have with their animal is heartwarming. If you are an animal lover or had a childhood experience with a family dog this movie is the one for you. I absolutely loved it. There wasn't a dry eye in the entire theater. From youngster of 10 to adult in their 50's and 60's were teary. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  23. JohnB
    Jan 9, 2009
    10
    "The more people I meet every day the more I like my dog" Those who did not like this movie / book clearly are not dog people and frankly probably a*holes. If you are not a dog person you should not be seeing a movie about the connection a man has with his dog.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  24. SaraM
    Jan 9, 2009
    8
    This was the sweetest movie ever! EXtremly well balanced with humor, sadness and it was one of owen wilson best movies! SPOILER: youll probably cry at the end!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  25. GracielaR
    Feb 6, 2009
    9
    I really like this movie, is sweet and funny.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  26. JosieB.
    Mar 14, 2009
    1
    this movie has been portrayed on the advertisements as being a lighthearted commedy. I took my 12 year old daughter to see it and I think it was totally unsuitable. The film starts well enough with some a few funny scenes of the dog misbehaving etc...but towards the end it gets really sad.... the dog becomes painfully ill and it seems to take forever for it to die... ...She was sobbing uncontrollably at the end when the dog is seen step by step being put down, being buried on the blanket etc etc. I also don't think the sex reference scenes, and subjects of miscarriage, bad marriage etc are particularly suitable. It was a PG13 and I feel it should have been a 15. All the kids in the cinema were crying and my daughter was still really upset long after the film had finished. The trailers gave the wrong idea of what this film is about. So..WARNING TO ALL PARENTS WITH KIDS: DO NOT TAKE THEM TO SEE THIS FILM, IT IS NOT SUITABLE. I saw lots of parents at the exit of the cinema doing the same as I was doing, trying to console sobbing kids and looking extremely unhappy and annoyed that this film has been made to look in the adverts like a family commedy. IT IS NOT. For this I give it a 1. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  27. JohnH
    Apr 10, 2009
    8
    This is a very cute film. Funny and sad. However, this film should have definitely be rated PG-13. I do not know what the rating people were thinking. Were they drunk? I think so? Moving on, I thought the acting was good. The film had 22 different dogs that played the part of Marley, and each one of them were cute and funny. I think a few more of Marley's stunts that were in the book could have been included, but this was still a good film. And remember, this was a good movie, but do not take any kids in there under the age of 12 or 13, if you get my drift. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  28. MandyS
    Apr 4, 2009
    7
    The movie was really hard for me to watch it very easily could have been my dog and me in that movie, and a year and a half ago I had to make a similar decison when he got cancer and coudn't move or breath very well, that movie brought it all back like it was yesterday I don't think I will watch this movie again not because it was bad but it was too hard to make it through the first time, when they gave my dog "the death shot" he wasn't on a table he was laying in my arms I will never forget that moment as long as I live to date its still the worse experiance I've ever endured losing him my best friend, loyal companion and loving guardian all in one moment. I am glad he wrote the book and did the movie its good to know that other people love their dogs as much as I did, however I was not prepared for the movie ending and I won't be watching it again. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  29. nill
    Apr 7, 2009
    9
    Very good, the end mad me cry. I would watch it again.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  30. DaveF
    Apr 9, 2009
    6
    Hey Josie B, you may have been the only person in the theatre who didn't know Marley dies in the end! Do a little research why doncha?! God forbid kids should get a dose of reality once in awhile. Guess what? Pets die! Instead of consoling the brat, how about explaining about the joy and associated pain of pet ownership? It's called a life lesson, take the opportunity to teach them something instead of shielding them until the real world kicks them in the nuts the first time. The ending was very touching and realistic; as a pet owner I can tell you Wilson played that part dead on. Rant over. Fairly heart-warming flick, pretty good chemistry between Wilson and Aniston and it looks like Kathleen Turner's sex change is now complete. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  31. jaim
    May 15, 2009
    10
    Very funny. bad language. but interesting. and has a high chance of making you cry.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  32. BrandonD
    May 16, 2009
    9
    I thought this was a good movie. Of course people who didn't like it are probably heartless people who don't care about dogs. If you have a dog, I think you will like it.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  33. LeslieW.
    Dec 25, 2008
    8
    This movie made me cry the hardest I have ever cried during a movie. Having read the book, the last scene was portrayed so wonderfully by the whole family, it made me reminisce of my family going through the same movie. The book was better, but the movie was also very good.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  34. ClaytonD.
    Dec 25, 2008
    7
    Not a bad movie about dogs and marriage and family. Hit home since I have had many canines in my 22 1/2 year old marriage..... Well done but no real surprises.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  35. JASIV
    Dec 28, 2008
    10
    Excellent, but the end is brutal.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  36. CarolS
    Dec 28, 2008
    3
    Found it predictable; no chemistry between Aniston and Wilson. I love dogs...found Marley's antics and his "parent's" inability to control him tiresome.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  37. AlessandraS
    Dec 30, 2008
    9
    I believe this movie is misunderstood- it is not a romantic comedy. I would also say that it is not suitable for kids under 12. For what it is, Marley and Me is a very touching film about life's trials and tribulations, and the love between a dog and a family, although the expression of that love is often suppressed in front of a dog who is out of control. Some really amazing acting by Wilson and Aniston for a couple of scenes. I cried- alot, but hey I cry at many movies. Worthwhile if you want to watch a touching story. Also, very moving if you have a dog. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  38. MartyP.
    Jan 18, 2009
    8
    Entertaining, especially if you are a dog lover!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  39. Ls
    Jan 19, 2009
    4
    It's like an untrained dog and a family that made a home movie together. What's the point? Even as an animal lover i didn't like this film. POINTLESS.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  40. WayneK.
    Jan 31, 2009
    3
    Summary: This movie was painful to endure and very boring, especially in the last 30-minutes, which was total lovey-dovey garbage! The movie started off well enough, when a man gets a dog, who constantly wrecks and destroys his home, then starts a family with the character played by Jennifer Aniston. The beginning awaits one with eager anticipation into the film, until problems begin with the marriage, mainly because of the dog. By then, he has three kids, and I seriously thought he would get rid of the dog, and would end sadly but understandably - not only was I wrong, but I had absolutely no idea what I had gotten myself into. [***SPOILER***] Many insignificant and utterly boring cutscenes follow, the man moves from Florida to Philly, more boring cutscenes, the dog gets old, and after 30 minutes (more like forever), the dog finally dies, and I left in exuberance. Also, I would like to add that the sex scenes and references were totally inappropriate for a film rated PG-13, and if I could, I would prosecute the director on criminal charges! My 7-year old daughter had to see that! Ugh... The only character in the movie that actually made it more interesting was the guy's boss in the newspaper company in Florida, with his light-hearted humor and sense of personality. The reviews on this movie make me sick. "Oh, it was a tearjerker, I want to see it again." "Oh, it was one of the best movies ever, it made me cry." "Oh, I feel bad for the dog, It's really sad when he died." "Oh, boo-hoo-hoo..." I was actually thrilled when the dog died. Even my daughter wanted to leave, and she wasn't crying when it was all over. Feelings, emotions, blah blah blah Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  41. JayH.
    Mar 26, 2009
    7
    Well written, good casting. A sweet film, funny and touching. Not one you will easily forget. It does seem to wander away from it's focus about halfway, but it gets back on track. Well done.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  42. SamJ
    Apr 18, 2009
    10
    Brilliant film! Marley and me is a very funny film, which might make you cry.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  43. ThomasZ
    Apr 26, 2009
    8
    This was a nice, moving story. Although, the adds for the movie make it look like a movie that it isn't. it was heartbreaking. I cried. I would not recommend this movie to young children. Don't let the PG rating trick you. It's well written, and it's good, but just devastating, it should be PG-13 and it tricks you. Although, an 8.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  44. Jag
    Jul 29, 2009
    3
    It could have been better. The movie is suppose to make you laugh and yet it also can very well make you cry. I just don't like it when put some real life dramatic stuff in such a goofy atmosphere. The movie was very reality based. This is just my opinion but, if your gonna make a funny movie make it funny. If your gonna make a drama make it dramatic. That whole half and half thing just doesn't click for me in reality based movies. Plus it just dragged on and on. There were so many times when I thought the movie was coming to an end and yet it just kept going. If your an older and more layed back person you will probably like it. I'm sure there will be parts that will remind you of you own life but as for us youngsters who haven't experienced what its like to be in a marriage and have a house and family of our own, prepare to be bored stiff. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  45. ChadS.
    Dec 25, 2008
    9
    Move over, Marley: You have company. The newspaper industry sleeps with the fishes, too. But in "Marley and Me", the newspaper industry thrives still, an indication that this doggy snuff film is a period piece about the relatively recent past. There's nary a typewriter in sight; this isn't the era of Howard Hawks' "His Girl Friday", after all, but the computers don't run Windows, which might as well be the dark ages, technology-wise. A journalist actually had the luxury to mull over the pros and cons of being a reporter, or a columnist. The Internet was still in its infancy, a mere "truck". While the "truck" blossomed into "a series of tubes", Josh Grogan(Owen Wilson) got a dog, got a career, and got a family. A film about a dog is a recipe for schmaltz, but "Marley and Me" avoids devolving into a cute animal horror show by balancing the good times with the bad times. In one pointed scene, the Labrador Retriever's unruly nature, once seemingly comedic when the dog was a proxy, becomes a point of contention, after Marley is downgraded to pet status, following the birth of the Grogan children. Another factor that calibrates "Marley and Me" against gratuitous dog-related humor and pathos is the character of Josh's friend, a womanizing reporter whom the columnist envies because he's free. Josh has not one, but two dogs, shadowing his life. In the film's other key scene, after Josh's family photo is handed back to him, the dog tells the dog-owner that he did good, that nothing has changed. When the old friends part, the married man looks back at the single man with longing. "Marley and Me" succeeds becuse the dog isn't always the focal point of the story; the film depicts the tension between the road Josh took, and the road not taken, which it then tries to negotiate when the columnist convinces his editor and himself that he's no reporter. While "Marley and Me" inevitably dramatizes one death, it subtly alludes to another death in the soundtrack's inclusion of a Nirvana cover("Lithium" by Bruce Lash). Like how grunge killed the "hair bands" back in the early-nineties, the computer sitting harmlessly on Josh's desk would someday in the very near future, kill journalism as the characters in the film knew it. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  46. AngelaG.
    Dec 26, 2008
    9
    Surprisingly true to life and heart felt. Much more than just a "dog movie".
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  47. Nic
    Dec 26, 2008
    7
    Cute, but a little slow at parts. Some very suggestive parts. I don't thin it should have only been a PG. there where some parts I wouln't want my young children to watch.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  48. carol
    Dec 26, 2008
    1
    Jen another one for the dogs.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  49. [Anonymous]
    Dec 27, 2008
    8
    I give it an 8 out of 10 for movies in its class. I was not expecting its relative quality; the movie is well paced, has good dialogue, and is as entertaining as it could be by explaining a simple but important family premise. Intelligent, kind human beings will appreciate Marley & Me for its strong foundation referencing the concrete "till death" partnership between canines and humans.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  50. LisaS.
    Dec 27, 2008
    0
    This movie was very boring. so boring that i fell asleep a half hour into the movie. Jennifer A. was at her worst and this was the opposit of what Owen Wilson plays. Maybe next time they will get it right. Jennifer should tried another line of work.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  51. SteveW.
    Dec 28, 2008
    3
    This move was rated poorly. Kids in our family ranged from 7-12 and this movie contained violence (a stabbing), sex/sexy mentioned a dozen times, and a taste of sex education. The movie seemed to be advertised as a Beethoven-like movie but plenty of kids went and some were shell-shocked and confused. Story was ok for for adults but very disappointed in the rating.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  52. cm
    Dec 29, 2008
    7
    They could have focused more on the dog since it's about Marley and Me (together) they dashed by the scene of all the things he's ever done with the dog for his column but then they focus on his career. They should have changed that around. It's a very fun fillm though and both Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson did a wonderful acting job, very heart wrenching especially if you are an animal lover, you will get it and you will be sad. Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  53. RobertI.
    Dec 31, 2008
    5
    Tepid stuff. so unsurprising, and we don't need so many tears from Jennifer and Owen. ugh.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  54. Oct 10, 2010
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I like dogs, but to me there's nothing entertaining about a couple of idiots who can't raise one. The movie is devoid of laughs or interesting plot developments. They work and have kids and then the dog dies, and Marley is such an awful dog that I feel genuine relief (not sadness) when it finally kicks the bucket. Expand
  55. Feb 21, 2011
    6
    This isn't a very funny movie, and when it's trying to be serious it fails miserably, I was surprised when this didn't focus that much on the dog, the best part of this movie, and the only reason I would recommend this is for the emotional ending, but that isn't a reason to spend your hard earned money to go out and buy the DVD or really even a reason to rent this, it's an ok movie, but definitely not for everyone. Expand
  56. Jan 8, 2011
    10
    This is not "just a dog movie"! Sure, one of the main characters is a dog, but there is so much more to it. Among other topics, this film - with its incredibly charming characters and an amazingly amusing script - is about the difficulties of having a family, and the joys of being a family. Furthermore, it suggests that sometimes doing what you can do best is better than what you think you want or have to do. The movie encourages you not to stick to a plan, but to let you surprise yourself. Beautiful and emotional third act, and a great ending monologue making out a case for a dog being the best friend one can have. Highly recommended. Expand
  57. Jan 18, 2011
    5
    Maybe I just wasn't in the mood or maybe it is because I wouldn't have put up with a dog like that to begin with, but the movie just didn't do it for me. Wilson and Aniston are great together but I just didn't care much for the movie. Perhaps on another day if I ever watch it again I will enjoy it a bit more.
  58. Jun 16, 2011
    9
    Such a touching story about a couple who gets a puppy, which turns out to be their worst nightmare. Despite the fact that the dog terrorizes everything in their house, the family grows a beautiful bonding with the dog. Has such a sad ending, that would lead most dog lovers into tears.
  59. Apr 9, 2012
    10
    A really incredible and emotive movie. I´m feeling sorprised becuase much movies about animals, have a great story, and this is an amazing example, the cast have a great performance and the most amazing is Marley, one of my favorite films ever.
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 30
  2. Negative: 5 out of 30
  1. Reviewed by: Cammila Albertson
    50
    As a modest little dramedy about the everyday adventures of starting a family, Marley & Me is pretty solid, but as a movie about the joy and heartbreak of owning a dog, it goes straight for the jugular.
  2. Reviewed by: Angie Errigo
    40
    My Dog Skip for people in mid-life crises, it?s too talky and trouble-laden for tykes but will doubtless prove as critic-proof to dog-lovers and the stars? fans as it did in the US.
  3. A warm and fuzzy family movie, but you do wish that at least once someone would upstage the dog.