Marley & Me - my review and a giveaway!

On March 31st, Fox Home Entertainment will release the heartwarming tale Marley & Me on DVD & Blu-ray! Starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston, the film will tug on your heartstrinks, that's fur sure!

We were fortunate to have Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, the distributor, send us a review copy of the new DVD which will be in stores on the March 31st date. The DVD not only includes the movie, but also has lots of outtakes, deleted scenes and more.

We've seen the movie and I have to say that I enjoyed it.

It's not your 'typical' dog movie. I think it's a dog movie for families. It's a drama, a comedy, and tells a very moving tale of John Grogan, his wife Jenny, their three children, and of course, the life of Marley, (who we understand was played by 22 different dogs, 11 of them puppies). I'm sure some youngsters will be fine with the movie, but unless they are prepared for every stage of life, I wouldn't want them to see it just yet.

We had read the book, so we were excited to see the movie. If you did read the book you know that the ending is very sad. And like the book, so is the movie.

One thing I couldn't help but feel throughout the entire time I watched the movie is that Marley needed a job. Marley is one of those pups that has energy to burn. I understand that kinda dog, Gracie and I are a little like that ourselves! So all the trouble he gets into, I think could have been channeled. But novice pup owners like John and Jenny probably had no idea how to channel his drive, his zest, and his energy. It happens, but what I like is they never gave up on Marley.

Throughout the movie, Marley shows his complete love for life. It's immeasurable, it's over the top, and gets him into lots of trouble.

The movie stars Academy Award®-Nominee Owen Wilson and Emmy®-Winner Jennifer Aniston. It starts when they start their life together and move from Michigan to Florida. Like any couple's and family's life, the movie shows there are ups and and their downs, great times, and tough times. But the interesting thing is that they deal with what comes their way, and in my opinion, they deal with things the best they can, coming out the other side all the better for it.

And through it all, there's Marley. Making them laugh, making them cry, making them frustrated, making them angry, making them happy, and making them appreciate all that life has to offer.

There are many scenes I liked in the movie. One particular scene that stands out to me is when Marley attends his first training class. I really enjoyed it, laughed pretty hard. I have always been a fan of Kathleen Turner, and she was precious and so out of her normal character as Marley's first obedience class instructor. Couldn't help think that she wasn't the best of trainers, and she just didn't know what to do for the energetic Marley.

But what I liked best about the movie is that Marley has that zest, love and energy for life that I think most people envy. He had a great family, was loved, cared for, and truly blessed. He had a great life - and he knew how to live it!

Giveaway!

So, with that! Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, is also providing us with a copy of the DVD to giveaway to our readers!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post, with your name and email address (if you're shy about leaving your email in my comments, feel free to email me @ johann@johannthedog.com with your name). By doing this you will be entered into the drawing (and we'll have a way to get back in touch with you if you win :)

I personally will be selecting the winner, through my usual process, which is Mum puts all the entries on little white pieces of paper on the floor, then sends me to them to pic just one. I'll be picking the winner on March 30th, and then we will let Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment know who our drawing winner is and they will be sending the winner their new Marley & Me DVD on March 31st (or shortly thereafter). Oh, please note, US and Canadian residents only please! (Apologies to my friends across the pond, and further south!)

So get your entries in! K? And then you can cry in the privacy of your own home :)

If you just can't wait to see if you're a winner you can pre-order the DVD from Amazon, and it will be sent on the 31st! Here are the links for the Single Disc Edition, Two-Disc Bad Dog Edition, and the Three Disc Bad Dog Blu-Ray Edition: