“B” Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

If you meet anyone who claims to have seen “Marley & Me” and didn’t cry their eyes out, they are either sociopaths or have had their tear ducts surgically removed. Not since Disney’s “Old Yeller” (1957) has a man and his best friend evoked this type of genuine emotion.

Base on John Grogan’s best selling book of the same name, this is a surprisingly sly, entertaining movie. Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are completely convincing as a young married couple moving from Michigan to Florida to begin joint careers in journalism. This is by far the best work of Wilson’s career, and Ms. Aniston reminds us of the promise she showed in “The Good Girl” (2002).

While you know going in that “Marley & Me” will revolve around a lovably destructive dog and his semi-cute antics, who would have thought that Wilson and Aniston could have jointly explored such emotional depths? Yes, “Marley” is cursed with the label of a “family film,” but it is far more than a simplistic tale like those so frequently seen on the “Disney Channel.”

To the contrary, what we are given is a rather sophisticated portrayal of the struggles of a young couple as they balance the competing demands of career and family. While clearly in love and committed to one another, the Grogan’s (Wilson and Aniston) marriage comes close to collapse as children arrive.

Wilson reminds me of the great line from Peter O’Toole in “My Favorite Year” (1982). An Oscar winner who balks at appearing on a live T.V. show, he declares in a panic, “My God, I’m a movie star, not an actor!”

While woefully limited as an actor, Wilson is cagey enough to know his limits. With his tousled blond hair and a nose only Cyrano de Bergerac could love, he is enormously likable as he previously demonstrated in “The Royal Tenenbaums” (2001) and “Night at the Museum” (2006).

Here he is a young husband who watches with barely suppressed resentment as his best friend Sebastian’s (a delightfully caddish Eric Dane) career skyrockets as his sits on idle. In a small way Wilson resembles Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey in the holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). In other words, without his family responsibilities, could he, in the immortal words of Marlon Brando in “On the Waterfront” (1954), been a contender.

Aniston is splendid as a young mother dancing between chronic depression and elation. No matter how badly you want children, is anyone ever prepared for the colossal demands, not to mention change of lifestyle? Her performance has a realistic, brave edge to it that is not likely to receive its full credit.

Supporting performances from Alan Arkin and Kathleen Turner also significantly helped “Marley”. As Wilson’s boss, nobody does a cantankerous old man [think “Little Miss Sunshine” (2006)] better than Arkin. Turner, clearly showing the ravages of time and illness, is quite funny in a cameo as an eccentric dog trainer who has met her match with Marley.

But in the end, this is a movie about dogs, their unlimited capacity for unconditional love, and mortality. They ask for so little and give so much. They define all the glory and heartache of the human condition.

When it is time for them to go, all you can do is throw your arms around them and whisper, “I love you.” And cry.