‘Marley & Me’ both funny and moving

Cert PG

110 mins, Family/Drama/Comedy/Romance

Newlyweds John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston) move from Michigan to the subtropical climate of West Palm Beach to pursue parallel careers as journalists.

When fellow reporter Sebastian (Dane) plants a seed of worry in John’s mind about his wife wanting a baby, the husband decides to dodge the bullet by buying Jenny a child substitute: a yellow Labrador pup called Marley.

The tiny, adorable bundle of fun soon grows into 100 pounds of uncontrollable energy.

An obedience trainer fails to take charge of the mutt, so John is compelled to put pen to paper and write a popular column about his experiences in the newspaper, to the delight of its cranky editor.

Adapted for the screen by Scott Frank and Don Roos from John Grogan’s celebrated memoir, ‘Marley & Me’ is a modern-day Old Yeller, which collars decent laughs with uproarious interludes as the four-legged central character runs amok in sunny Florida.

However, the script plumbs surprising emotional depths too, eliciting strong performances from Wilson and Aniston as a young couple struggling to juggle professional and parental responsibilities.

Viewers should have plenty of tissues to hand.

Star Rating: 3/5.