The 4-1-1: Stars: Owen Wilson & Jennifer Aniston; Director: David Frankel; Rating: PG; Total running time: 120 minutes.
The Venue: Movies on TV mutliplex in Hillsboro, OR.
The Preface: Last night, I made a sacrifice - no, wait...make that TWO sacrifices. That evening, the Trail Blazers played the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics here in Portland and the Oregon Ducks were playing in the Holiday Bowl. Both were prime-time sporting events that I'd marked on my calendar some time ago. Both teams were victorious.
Nevertheless, I'd agreed to take my mother to see this movie, as she was a big fan of the book and I've owed her a movie for some time. Fortunately, my wife came along, too as we've only seen one other movie together in a theater and that was "Quantum of Solace."
The Trailers: The first clue of the impending maelstrom was the crop of trailers to which we were treated. They were "Bride Wars," "Hotel for Dogs," "Night at the Museum 2," and "Coraline." Seeing as how studios tend to attach trailers to movies that are meant for the same target audience as the featured film, things weren't looking promising.
The Film: There's an obvious and ready-made metaphor about how if this movie was a dog - it'd be put to sleep peacefully. Alas...too easy.
The film starts out by telling the story of an up-and-coming young go-getter named John Grogan (Wilson) who applies for a job as a reporter in Miami after getting a pep talk from his wife, Jennifer (Aniston). He impresses the Editor of the paper (Alan Arkin - one of the few bright spots) with his moxie and gets the job and the film spends some time trying to develop the two main characters - but the dialog is stiff and the acting is stilted. There is NO chemistry between these two! Perhaps it's because they're such A-list actors (and always a topic of the dating scene) that it's hard to envision the two as an ordinary couple.
Anyhow - they get the dog and all pandemonium ensues. It seems that the director felt that if the dialog was running dry or a scene was going on too long...simple cure! Let's just have Marley break free from the leash or start chewing stuff and then everyone will moan, "Maaaarr-leeeey! You're the world's worst dog!" Wow. That's comedy!
One of the most painful moments was when they take the dog to an obedience class and, you guessed it, Marley just doesn't do well in class. However, what made the scene worse was the cameo by Kathleen Turner as the dog trainer. I know she's suffering from rheumatoid arthritis - but she still not aging well. Anyhow - she plays the role with self-righteous indignation and proclaims that all dogs can be trained. However, Marley jumps up on her and knocks her down causing her to proclaim - "That dog is pure evil!"
The movie tried - and somewhat successfully a few times - to show the professional development of John's career and the sacrifices he made. It also tries to examine the sacrifices Jennifer had to make in order to stay at home with her children. However, it all seemed very predictable, a bit heavy-handed, and even preachy from time to time.
Speaking of children - that was one of the biggest weaknesses of the film. Those kids could not act to save their lives. The director wanted them to come across as adorable little kids dressed in LL Bean who love the family dog. Instead, they came across as a distraction...and not a welcome one.
At the end, the dog dies of (essentially) old age - oh come on, everyone knows the dog dies - and they bury Marley in the front yard. Cue the cheesy, sappy music and the flashbacks to all the happy memories. It was so over the top that it was hard to find occasion to be sad or feel a tear welling up. I know I'm a bit of a cynic anyhow - but I really felt as though the major sponsors of the film must have been Mrs. Butterworth and the Wisconsin Dairy Products Council.
The viewer was suppose to get choked up by the kids' reactions to the death of Marley - but the movie never spends any time really establishing a bond between the dog and the kids - so it simply wasn't believable on the screen.
The film could have been a lot better if the script had been better and the music wasn't so generic and obligatory. Also, it was really sloppy in parts - such as the scene where John and Jennifer are driving to the airport and the point-of-view is from inside their car. You see rain pouring down on the windshield - but a mere few feet away, you see people walking around with no umbrellas, strolling across the street, in bone-dry clothes. WTF!?!?!
The basic message seemed to be that even the worst dog in the world is deserving of love and acceptance and will always love you back, no matter who you are, and to that end - I won't disagree. But the movie was not a good attempt at making that message.
Anyhow - they get the dog and all pandemonium ensues. It seems that the director felt that if the dialog was running dry or a scene was going on too long...simple cure! Let's just have Marley break free from the leash or start chewing stuff and then everyone will moan, "Maaaarr-leeeey! You're the world's worst dog!" Wow. That's comedy!
One of the most painful moments was when they take the dog to an obedience class and, you guessed it, Marley just doesn't do well in class. However, what made the scene worse was the cameo by Kathleen Turner as the dog trainer. I know she's suffering from rheumatoid arthritis - but she still not aging well. Anyhow - she plays the role with self-righteous indignation and proclaims that all dogs can be trained. However, Marley jumps up on her and knocks her down causing her to proclaim - "That dog is pure evil!"
The movie tried - and somewhat successfully a few times - to show the professional development of John's career and the sacrifices he made. It also tries to examine the sacrifices Jennifer had to make in order to stay at home with her children. However, it all seemed very predictable, a bit heavy-handed, and even preachy from time to time.
Speaking of children - that was one of the biggest weaknesses of the film. Those kids could not act to save their lives. The director wanted them to come across as adorable little kids dressed in LL Bean who love the family dog. Instead, they came across as a distraction...and not a welcome one.
At the end, the dog dies of (essentially) old age - oh come on, everyone knows the dog dies - and they bury Marley in the front yard. Cue the cheesy, sappy music and the flashbacks to all the happy memories. It was so over the top that it was hard to find occasion to be sad or feel a tear welling up. I know I'm a bit of a cynic anyhow - but I really felt as though the major sponsors of the film must have been Mrs. Butterworth and the Wisconsin Dairy Products Council.
The viewer was suppose to get choked up by the kids' reactions to the death of Marley - but the movie never spends any time really establishing a bond between the dog and the kids - so it simply wasn't believable on the screen.
The film could have been a lot better if the script had been better and the music wasn't so generic and obligatory. Also, it was really sloppy in parts - such as the scene where John and Jennifer are driving to the airport and the point-of-view is from inside their car. You see rain pouring down on the windshield - but a mere few feet away, you see people walking around with no umbrellas, strolling across the street, in bone-dry clothes. WTF!?!?!
The basic message seemed to be that even the worst dog in the world is deserving of love and acceptance and will always love you back, no matter who you are, and to that end - I won't disagree. But the movie was not a good attempt at making that message.
Snacks: Dots and Junior Mints.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10.
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