I don't really see the point this movie was trying to make

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Honestly i think that this was a great movie about a family and i liked it very much..and you people that just complain about how bad the movie was should really get over yourself.. if it`s too plain for your brain well you could just go see another movie...after all what were you expecting?the description on IMDB and even the title suggests that this is a family movie.


i have a cat at home and every day when i come at home she makes me feel better in spite of all the bad things she sometimes does i smile because of her at the end of the day and i loved the fact that the movie captured just this feeling....

I didn't really see the point this movie was trying to make either. In fact, I consider it to be flat-out awful. I've noticed that one of the most common reasons that people give for not liking the film is that it is not a "family" or "kids" movie because the dog dies and that is traumatizing for kids and parents who let their kids see it are irresponsible and downright terrible. But for me, if anything's objectionable about this film, it's that Marley's owners make no attempt to control him and that the film plays an unruly dog for laughs. Lack of training and control, to me, is a much worse message to be sending to children than a dog's death, which happens to all of them (as well as to humans, I hear).

I get that Marley was an ornery puppy from the beginning but the reason why he was such an out-of-control dog was because his owners let it get that way because they made NO effort to train him from puppyhood, or any real effort to do anything about his behavior as a grown dog, other than a half-assed attempt to enroll him in a dog training class and that was it after they were kicked out. They didn't try anything else, and they continued to let his behavior get worse. Training a puppy to be obedient and submissive to you is essential if you want a good housepet, and that couple was just irresponsible. Not to mention that Labrador Retrievers can be the most obedient dogs around, so that should say something.

There is nothing cute or amusing about a dog out of control, and the owner who refuses to take that control. Labs are excellent dogs and respond well to their owners, but Marley's owners didn't seem to have a clue as to how to train him. Or they'd start to train him, then give up and let him rule the household. I haven't read the book, and I suspect the filmmakers took a lot of license to make Marley more animated, but the type of behavior of the yellow Lab in this movie is not typical, or acceptable in my book.

The saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" isn't entirely true, but when they DID start training him, or trying to, he was already so set in his unruly ways that not even the obedience trainer could do anything. That's why it is essential to train a dog as a puppy, especially if it's going to grow up to be a big dog. It showed in the later second half of the movie that Marley began to calm down as the couple began to have children, and as an old dog he was pretty laid back until they had to put him to sleep due to his old age. Some people might call me heartless for saying this, but I didn't really know what to make of that scene. I mean, it's always sad when someone loses a pet, but it didn't totally excuse or take away the fact that that dog was boisterous and hyper to the point where he puts himself and others in danger and not to mention damaging their reputation. And his owners were majorly at fault for this BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T TRAIN HIM AS A PUPPY. They didn't do any research on how to raise a dog, they just picked him out because he was the cheapest. They had no idea what they were doing, and they suffered the consequences of his behavior due to their incompetence.

Granted, each dog has his/her own personality. As a puppy, Marley was mischievous and liked to have fun, and that would get him into trouble. But if his owners had been more responsible and did make an effort to train him at an early age, not to mention take control of his energy and outgoing personality to use it to their advantage, I have no doubt he would have turned out a whole lot better. I actually found "Marley & Me" more of a horror show than a comedy, and I found it hard to feel sorrow at the end of the film because Marley was in no way a sympathetic character. Dogs die every day, including many more adorable and lovable than Marley. In fact, my beloved Golden Retriever died at a young age 14 years ago, and there are times I still feel depressed because I miss her. And much more recently, I had to put down my Chihuahua a few months ago due to him being severely mauled, yet I was able to watch this film without shedding a tear because Marley was more of an irritant than a friend. It is often said that there are no bad dogs, only bad people. I don't know if that's entirely accurate, but if any dog can be trained to be man's best friend, it is the Lab. The couple in the movie "Marley & Me" shirked their duties at crucial stages in Marley's life, and if this is how Josh Grogan raised his dog ... well, let's just say it would embarrass me to write a book about it. I hope to seek out Grogan's book eventually, though judging from this film, it would probably just upset me.

I hope this doesn't sound overly harsh, but part of being a pet owner is being a responsible citizen and not hoisting your burden on others. Dogs are social creatures, and they thrive when they are integrated into your family and your community – not when they terrorize them.

In conclusion, Marley & Me basically slaps respectful dog owners in the face by condoning irresponsible pet care. I'm a huge animal lover, and I especially love dogs. I've made it a point to research breeds and how to take care of dogs since I was in grade school. And as a dog lover and someone helping to take care of dogs at the local animal shelter, this movie insults me. There is no point in the movie where the couple learns that what they did with Marley was irresponsible, or acknowledge that they should have done some research before getting the dog.