Marley and Me
In the summer of 1967, John Grogan was ten and had his first dog. The dog effortlessly mastered every command he taught him, behaved well, and was generally the type of dog that gives dogs a good name. Marley is not that dog. Marley is the exact opposite of that dog. He is a naughty, self-willed, catastrophic, bungling ninety-seven pound steamroller of a dog. As Grogan says, it is the story of “life and love with the world’s worst dog”.
John and Jenny are young and in love. They are carefree and supremely happy. That’s when they decide to bring home Marley—a wiggly, yellow furball of a puppy and name him after Bob Marley. He brings love and laughter into their home. But he is also a disaster waiting to happen. He tears up all their cushions, swallows the gold chain that John brings home for his wife (which they later recover from his poop), poops all over an exclusive dog beach where no dog has pooped before, and even stars in a movie, creating chaos all the while. He is extremely nervous during thunderstorms and if locked up in the garage creates havoc within seconds. When John and Jenny enroll him in obedience school, he is kicked out for being a bad influence on the other dogs.
But Marley also sees this little family through the birth of their three children, through their ups and downs, and despite his ebullience, knows when his mistress is feeling low and stays silent at those times by her side, comforting her through her sorrows.
John Grogan is an award-winning newspaper columnist and former editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening magazine. His book “Marley and Me” was inspired by the overwhelming response to his columns chronicling his real-life adventures with his dog. He knew then that he had touched on something big: “the story of not just a dog, not just of a family with a dog, but of the journey humans and animals take together. The ups, the downs, the laughter, the tears, the joys and heartbreaks. A journey worth taking.”
And no one could sum it up better than John when he says, “Dogs are great. Bad dogs, if we can really call them that, are perhaps the greatest of them all.”
What makes this a truly amazing read is the author’s prowess at storytelling. He has mastered the art of “Show, don’t tell” in storytelling and narrates clearly and with a great sense of humour, Marley’s antics. This heartwarming tale is a must-read for all dog lovers, but even those who are not “dog persons” will love it. The story reaches right into your heart and finds a place for itself there.
The movie of the same name starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson is based on the book and it stays true to the book. The casting of Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in ‘Marley and me’ is not exactly a coup. My friend quite correctly commented that they look like siblings. Still, who can resist a movie with an adorable and goofy dog in the main lead?
Fun Trivia about the movie
o There were 22 different dogs used in the movie, all playing the one main dog.
o Owen Wilson's real parents played his parents in the movie. His mom's biggest problem was remembering not to call him Owen.
o Kathleen Turner, who played Marley's dog trainer, starred with Jennifer Aniston on "Friends" (1994) as Chandler Bing's cross-dressing father Charles.
o During the surprise birthday party scene you can see former Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry standing on the right of the shot smiling.
o The "Sun-Sentinel" and "Philadelphia Inquirer" office scenes were filmed on location.
o Cameo: The original book's author John Grogan appears as the Cocker Spaniel owner in the dog training class.
Source for Trivia: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822832/trivia
For more information about the movie, visit http://marleyandmemovie.com/
This site allows you to “adopt” a virtual Marley, get a Marley widget, create e-cards, and join the campaign for adoption awareness.
In the summer of 1967, John Grogan was ten and had his first dog. The dog effortlessly mastered every command he taught him, behaved well, and was generally the type of dog that gives dogs a good name. Marley is not that dog. Marley is the exact opposite of that dog. He is a naughty, self-willed, catastrophic, bungling ninety-seven pound steamroller of a dog. As Grogan says, it is the story of “life and love with the world’s worst dog”.
John and Jenny are young and in love. They are carefree and supremely happy. That’s when they decide to bring home Marley—a wiggly, yellow furball of a puppy and name him after Bob Marley. He brings love and laughter into their home. But he is also a disaster waiting to happen. He tears up all their cushions, swallows the gold chain that John brings home for his wife (which they later recover from his poop), poops all over an exclusive dog beach where no dog has pooped before, and even stars in a movie, creating chaos all the while. He is extremely nervous during thunderstorms and if locked up in the garage creates havoc within seconds. When John and Jenny enroll him in obedience school, he is kicked out for being a bad influence on the other dogs.
But Marley also sees this little family through the birth of their three children, through their ups and downs, and despite his ebullience, knows when his mistress is feeling low and stays silent at those times by her side, comforting her through her sorrows.
John Grogan is an award-winning newspaper columnist and former editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening magazine. His book “Marley and Me” was inspired by the overwhelming response to his columns chronicling his real-life adventures with his dog. He knew then that he had touched on something big: “the story of not just a dog, not just of a family with a dog, but of the journey humans and animals take together. The ups, the downs, the laughter, the tears, the joys and heartbreaks. A journey worth taking.”
And no one could sum it up better than John when he says, “Dogs are great. Bad dogs, if we can really call them that, are perhaps the greatest of them all.”
What makes this a truly amazing read is the author’s prowess at storytelling. He has mastered the art of “Show, don’t tell” in storytelling and narrates clearly and with a great sense of humour, Marley’s antics. This heartwarming tale is a must-read for all dog lovers, but even those who are not “dog persons” will love it. The story reaches right into your heart and finds a place for itself there.
The movie of the same name starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson is based on the book and it stays true to the book. The casting of Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston in ‘Marley and me’ is not exactly a coup. My friend quite correctly commented that they look like siblings. Still, who can resist a movie with an adorable and goofy dog in the main lead?
Fun Trivia about the movie
o There were 22 different dogs used in the movie, all playing the one main dog.
o Owen Wilson's real parents played his parents in the movie. His mom's biggest problem was remembering not to call him Owen.
o Kathleen Turner, who played Marley's dog trainer, starred with Jennifer Aniston on "Friends" (1994) as Chandler Bing's cross-dressing father Charles.
o During the surprise birthday party scene you can see former Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry standing on the right of the shot smiling.
o The "Sun-Sentinel" and "Philadelphia Inquirer" office scenes were filmed on location.
o Cameo: The original book's author John Grogan appears as the Cocker Spaniel owner in the dog training class.
Source for Trivia: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822832/trivia
For more information about the movie, visit http://marleyandmemovie.com/
This site allows you to “adopt” a virtual Marley, get a Marley widget, create e-cards, and join the campaign for adoption awareness.
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