Marley & Me….watch a grown man cry.

I gotta be honest, this kind of film aint usually my cup of tea. Despite the fact that it looked dangerously like a whimsical, throwaway romantic comedy, it also had the huge disadvantage of starring one of my least favorite actors, Owen “the nose” Wilson. I have no substantial reason to dislike Owen…I just do. The guy grates me.

Let’s talk about that nose. I’m seriously tempted to write a complete review on Owen Wilson’s nose alone, as it threatened to dominate this film. For some strange reason, that mess of a thing in the middle of his face looked even more distorted and mangled than usual. Just what is going on with that thing? It’s fascinating to watch and I can only wonder how the hell it came to be so mis-shaped. Was it guys like me who find him endlessly irritating just approaching him in the street and bopping him on the snoz once too often? Or was the dude born with that monstrosity?

I’d kinda feel sorry for the guy….if he wasn’t such a twat.

Nevertheless, it pains me to say this….but despite his annoying tendencies as an actor, and that thing that was once a nose protruding from his face like a sick freak-show parlor trick, his performance in this film was pretty ok. There, I said it.

Thankfully, Marley and Me didn’t have to rely too heavily on its Jennifer Aniston/Owen Wilson chemistry. They both do their jobs well, but the star of the show is the dog.

Now is probably the right time to tell you that if you aren’t a dog lover, you might want to skip Marley and Me. While it is more than just a dog lover’s movie, those of us who can’t get enough of man’s best friend will get the most out of it. The relationship between man and his dog is a sacred thing, and if you don’t get it, you won’t get it. Got it? Good.

I challenge any dog lover out there not to be moved my the final reel of Marley and Me. Sure, it’s overly sentimental, and yes it lays on the cheese pretty thick at times, but I’ll be damned if I didn’t reach for the Kleenex and go give my Golden Retriever a big hug as the credits rolled.

Marley and Me sucked me in and held me transfixed for its entirety, not only keeping me completely entertained but quite possibly diminishing my credibility as a serious film connoisseur.

So be it. We all have our guilty pleasures.