Line #37 Film/MarleyAndMe


1	[[quoteright:332:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/51kesp5ptwl__sx330_bo1204203200.jpg]]
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3	->''A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbols mean nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not.''
4	-->-- John Grogan
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6	The story of newspaper columnist John Grogan, his wife and children and their manic Labrador Retriever Marley, the 2005 book became an unexpected success particularly amongst pet owners. It was made into TheFilmOfTheBook in 2008, directed by David Frankel, with Creator/OwenWilson and Creator/JenniferAniston as the protagonists.
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8	Got a DirectToVideo sequel, ''Marley & Me: The Puppy Years'' (2011) with Marley SuddenlySpeaking.
9	----
10	!!''Marley & Me'' provides examples of:
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12	* TheNineties: The film's early scenes are set in the early '90s -- note the outdated technology and the reference to Desert Storm. However, one scene in the mid-'90s has the mother put on a ''WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder'' VHS for the kid. The show wouldn't come to America at least until [[AnachronismStew 2001]]. John also reads a newspaper which has the year 2001 on the date.
13	* AdaptationalAttractiveness: John and Jenny Grogan are NOT unattractive people... but they don't look like Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston either.
14	* AdaptationDistillation: Will naturally happen when you're adapting a book into a 2-hour film. Most noticeable, however, might be how John in real life had a dog as a child, and both he and Jenny were determined to have one together as they were both dog lovers. In the film, John comments that he's never had a dog before and he decides to get one on a whim, something he surprises Jenny with.
15	* AdaptationExpansion: In the film, John writes lots of colums about Marley in the newspaper throughout the dog's life. In the book/real life, John didn't write about Marley until after his death.
16	** When John and his family are burying Marley in the film, Jenny gives up her necklace that Marley had once swallowed to bury with him. Whether she did this in real life or not is not mentioned in the book.
17	* AdaptationalHeroism: The movie got rid of the more unsavory aspect of the Grogans, most likely to alleviate some of the ValuesDissonance. Most notably:
18	** Have them actually researching about the Labrador breed before adopting Marley.
19	** Turn the movie into a FirstPetStory, thus making John and Jenny's frustration more sympathetic.
20	** Remove the more mean-spirited actions and thoughts of John and Jenny towards Marley. Most notably removing Jenny once hitting Marley during her depression as well as frequently taking out her frustration on Marley.
21	* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: A canine version. Although he's clearly an older dog, the supposedly dying Marley looks quite handsome and healthy, [[AdaptationalAttractiveness rather than]] the thinning, elderly creature described by John Grogan in the book.
22	* BigFriendlyDog: Marley as an adult is ninety-seven pounds of love and fun.
23	* BigNo: In the book, John had one when he witnessed Marley about to take a dump on the beach, something that could get dog owners forbidden from walking their dogs there.
24	* {{Bowdlerise}}: When numerous children expressed interest in the book, John Grogan put out a child-friendly version, eliminating the more adult content, namely the frank discussion of marital relations (not just their sex life, but Jenny's miscarriage, problems with her second pregnancy and post-partum depression, etc.)
25	** Arguably, the complete exclusion of anything referencing [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror 9/11]] is an example of this, even though you'd figure a movie about a journalist would at least mention it.
26	** There's also the slew of children's books that he's put out over the past decade.
27	* ABoyAndHisX: The film starts with John Grogan narrating his relationship with dogs over a shot of a young boy and his dog walking through a wheat field, implying them to be Grogan and Marley. It is immediately interrupted by the actual adult Grogan chasing an adult Marley over a fence into the same wheat field, screaming his name. The Grogans also got Marley as adults, but their children grew up with him.
28	%%* CanisMajor
29	* CradleToGraveCharacter: Marley is introduced as a puppy, and is shown over the course of his life until he is elderly (for a dog) and must be put to sleep.
30	* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Marley is usually a happy-go-lucky, energetic, not-too bright dog. However, when a neighbor gets stabbed, he goes straight into guard dog mode. John Grogan later starts to wonder why he ever doubted Marley's protective capabilities.
31	* CruelToBeKind: John decides to break Marley of his jumping habit by kicking him in the ribs... so that he won't have to give the dog away.
32	* DeadpanSnarker: Jen has her moments.
33	* DeathByNewberyMedal: It sure as hell ''feels'' like this, but Marley was actually DoomedByCanon.
34	* ExpressDelivery: John writes that Jenny's second labor progresses so quickly that he barely has time to enjoy the amenities in the fancy hospital room before they have to go to the delivery room.
35	* TheFilmOfTheBook
36	* FirstPetStory: Played straight in the movie. In the book, however, Marley isn't John's first pet (that would be Shaun, who actually has the book's first chapter entirely devoted to him), nor Jenny's for that matter.
37	* TheHeroDies: Marley himself at the end.
38	* InNameOnly: The sequel, which is just an ''Film/AirBuddies'' clone.
39	* ItWillNeverCatchOn: In a scene set in the early '90s, Jenny writes about the efficiency of voting machines. Did we mention this is set in Florida?
40	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Marley seems to be the canine version of this, although some of his actions suggest that he isn't ''really'' a jerk -- just [[DogsAreDumb not that bright.]]
41	* {{Keet}}: Marley is a dog version, especially when he's a puppy and actually fits the "small yet full of energy" description. Though when he gets huge he still has all the trope's characteristics except the small size.
42	* LaughingAtYourOwnJokes: John says that his boss told him not to end sentences with an exclamation point because it's like laughing at your own joke. John says that sometimes you ''need'' to laugh at your own joke, because it's ''funny''.
43	* LawOfInverseFertility: Justified, this happened in real life.
44	* LikeFatherLikeSon: In the book, it's pretty clear that Marley inherited most of his personality from Sammy, his sire.
45	* LyricalDissonance / SoundtrackDissonance: An acoustic cover version of "Lithium" by Music/{{Nirvana}} plays when the Grogans relocate to a safer neighborhood.
46	* MeaningfulName: John and Jenny's second son is named "Conor", an anglicized form of the Gaelic name ''"Conchobhar"'', which means "dog lover" or "wolf lover".
47	* MoodWhiplash: What first seems like a lighthearted movie for kids turns into a tearjerker near the end when [[spoiler:Marley falls fatally ill and has to be put down.]]
48	* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Marley is named after Music/BobMarley.
49	* NeverTrustATrailer:
50	** This is not, repeat ''not'', a slapsticky dog comedy for the kiddies.
51	** Averted with the one for the sequel. That one is the slapsticky dog comedy for the kiddies.
52	** Similarly, with the book. Kids naturally gravitated towards it because of the picture of the handsome labrador on the cover, but it isn't geared toward children at all. John Grogan recalls cringing from the dirty looks parents would give him at book signings, prompting him to write the tamer version cited above.
53	* ObfuscatingDisability: Discussed in the book. Marley, despite going deaf, is somehow still able to hear food-related sounds. Because of this, John suspects he may be faking his hearing loss so he can have an excuse to disobey commands, but after testing Marley's hearing a few times, he determines that he really is losing his hearing and just loves food that much.
54	* RightNowMontage: Used with the John Grogan character, showing him doing different things and writing about them and at the same getting to know Marley.
55	* SliceOfLife
56	* SuddenDownerEnding: See MoodWhiplash.
57	* TimeshiftedActor: Done with the children. Conspicuously averted with Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, who [[NotAllowedToGrowOld seem to remain ageless]] as their characters go from being a young couple to middle-aged parents.
58	* TroublesomePet: Marley, is very destructive and poorly behaved, and John describes him as the world's worst dog. It has been suggested that Marley suffers from a mental illness that makes him much more hyperactive than other dogs, but he's otherwise a loyal and loving dog to his family.
59	* TwoPersonPoolParty: Attempted with John and his wife, but interrupted with Marley jumping into the pool.
60	* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: Marley is named after Music/BobMarley.

Context Film / MarleyAndMe