Marley & Me (2008)

See? Our life is just like the movie.

I told Brian that the only thing I really wanted to do during my vacation was see this movie. Because a) I love dogs, and b) I love puppies. I'm also a fan of Owen Wilson, so that made it even better. Marley and Me is based on a book of the same name by John Grogan (bestseller, maybe you've heard of it?) about his life with his dog, Marley. Marley is entitled "the worst dog in the world," but of course goes on to show John (Owen Wilson) and his wife Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) the true meaning of puppy love and devotion. Without giving too much away, Marley (Clyde, plus 21 other dogs) eats various household objects, runs away, jumps, barks, and does lots of other naughty stuff. Much like our dog Tucker. After each episode, though, Marley does something terribly cute and/or helpful (also like Tucker) and John and Jenny realize how much they love and need him. This could have been a sappy movie, and I guess in some ways it is, but it does have a realistic take on marriage and family life. John and Jenny alternately love and hate Marley from the beginning of their marriage through fights, moves, career changes and raising children. It's funny and warm and all 22 dog actors are fantastic and super cute. If you don't have a dog, you'll want one. If you do, you'll want to give your dog a big hug and some cookies as soon as you get home. I gave Tucker and Sadie big, big hugs and got black dog hair all over my new off-white vest, but it was worth it.

4 stars out of 5