MARLEY & ME
PG
QUICK TAKE
Dramedy: A young married couple adopts a puppy that grows up into an uncontrollable dog and both adds to and complicates their lives as they go through career changes and the addition of kids into their family.
PLOT: John and Jenny Grogan are newly married, and their first move is literal, to sunny West Palm Beach, Florida. There, they end up as journalists at rival papers, but aren't competitive in such regards. She's a feature writer and he's a reporter, like his friend and coworker, Sebastian Tunney, although their editor, Arnie Klein, doesn't give John juicy or interesting assignments.
He's particularly put out when Arnie asks him to temporarily fill a columnist position, but John actually gets quite good in that role. And much of that stems from writing about the yellow Labrador retriever that he and Jenny adopt as a puppy rather than have kids, at least at first. Marley ends up growing into quite the rambunctious and destructive dog, although his owners take that in stride.
As the years pass and the children start coming along, however, Marley's behavior ends up putting an additional strain on John and Jenny's marriage, particularly when she ends up suffering from a combination of postpartum depression, lack of sleep, and crying kids. But despite the tension and Marley not changing his ways, his advancing years soon put the growing family's issues and career desires in perspective.
OUR WORD TO THE WISE
Here's a quick look at the content found in this PG rated dramedy. Profanity consists of at least 2 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered, while non-explicit, but sexually related dialogue is also present. Several scenes feature a married couple in sexual situations (a squeaking bed, stripping and jumping into a pool to have sex there, etc.), while women are seen in bikinis, and a male dog is seen humping people.
That dog destroys all sorts of things in a standard bad dog fashion, while a minor character is stabbed off screen. A somewhat lengthy sequence involves an old dog being put to sleep (that might not sit well with kids, or adults for that matter, for a variety of reasons), and that and other thematic elements (including a dead fetus in the womb sequence) are also present.
There's some drinking and a few drug references, crude humor occurs in several scenes, bad attitudes are present (including among a married couple due to the stress of domestic life, some stemming from postpartum depression, thus leading to some heavy tense family material), and there's some potentially imitative behavior.
ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
John and Jenny drink champagne from the bottle while seated (clothed) on the edge of a bathtub.
About not anticipating where he is now, John tells Arnie that 10 years ago he was doing bong hits and playing Donkey Kong.
Sebastian states he's off to Columbia to write a story following one coca leaf from there to the streets of Miami.
John and Sebastian have beer.
In a montage of his experiences, John mentions having mimosas and we see him and others with them, while another quick shot shows looters carrying beer out of a store.
Sebastian says he's off to write a story on the growth of the domestic drug trade.
We see wine in glasses in front of John and Jenny, despite her being pregnant.
Sebastian asks John if he wants a beer. John says no, but Sebastian has one, while we also see bottles of wine in his place.
We see a smattering of empty beer bottles following a birthday party.
BLOOD/GORE
A man tells John that any peeing or pooping on a dog beach will have the authorities shutting them down.
We see dog vomit on the floor and it appears that Marley tries to eat it.
In a montage of his experiences, John mentions cutting his leg on sea coral, and we see a quick view of his leg with a streak of blood down it.
About Jenny being pregnant, Arnie says that she'll be throwing up all of the time.
After Marley swallows Jenny's new necklace, we see John using a garden hose on dog excrement on the lawn to water it down to look for the jewelry (that he then finds, and that she later wears).
We see a dog sitter scooping Marley's poop.
Marley pees on the floor.
We see Marley peeing outside.
We may see a little blood as the teenage or young twenty-something woman living next door holds her hand on her side where she was stabbed during a robbery (not seen).
After John unleashes Marley at a dog beach, everyone reacts in shock and disgust seeing the dog squatting in the shallow surf to defecate (we don't see the resultant product).
The kids react to an inaudible fart from Marley.
PROFANITY
At least 2 "s" words, 1 slang term for breasts ("boobs"), 6 craps, 3 hells, 2 asses, 2 S.O.B.s, 1 damn, 6 uses of "Oh my God," 5 of "God," 4 of "Oh God" and 1 use each of "For God's sakes," "My God" and "Oh Lord."
SEX/NUDITY
Jenny shows cleavage in her wedding dress.
John and Jenny do some passionate kissing on their wedding night (clothed), but the scene ends before anything is seen.
We see the slight shape of Jenny's nipples under her top, and when she hears that John got a job, she jumps up and wraps her legs around him in her skirt (nothing explicit is seen).
Some women in bikinis pass by John and Sebastian, with two (dressed the same way, showing cleavage) stop by to see John's cute dog.
Marley runs through and out of the house with some of Jenny's lacey lingerie in his mouth.
As Jenny kisses John, he states that it's encouragement for something, but not writing his column (but they're interrupted before anything else happens).
Marley knocks down a female dog trainer and then rapidly humps her leg, causing that trainer to state that leg humping is like a virus and that it's bad once it starts in a group (of dogs). As a result, Jenny convinces John it's time to have Marley neutered. On the drive there, John tells the dog that sex is overrated, but then says he can't tell him that, adding that it's a lie. Following an incident, John tells some people to cut the dog some slack as he's "losing his balls." About that, Arnie later tells John, "Sooner or later, we all lose our balls."
We see miscellaneous cleavage.
We see Sebastian shirtless on or near the beach several times, as well as miscellaneous women in varying styles of bikinis.
John tells Jenny, "We take it off and get it on," and we then see them passionately kissing on a bed (clothed, with later sex implied).
Arnie and John comment about an unseen woman who had her "boobs" done four times.
About whether John and Jenny are trying to have kids, Arnie asks if they're having sex, and "Did you pull the goalie?" (stop using contraception). John answers yes to both questions, with Arnie replying that means they are trying.
Jenny calls John and playfully tells him that there's a naked woman in his bed (referring to herself, although she isn't nude at the time), with him replying, "Why don't the two of you get started?"
Jenny shows some cleavage and informs John that she's pregnant.
We see Jenny's bare belly during an ultrasound.
Before an ultrasound, John asks the medical woman if she can tell the sex of their child in utero, and then makes a comment about unambiguous genitalia.
We see the shape (but no details) of a young female dog sitter's body behind a shower curtain, followed by a view of that shower curtain wrapped around her when Marley jumps in the shower, and then of that young woman wrapped in just a towel while chasing Marley. Marley then pulls that towel off her, but does so off camera and thus we don't see anything more.
About being in an Irish bed and breakfast where the room is filled with religious figures, Jenny states she knows they haven't had sex in a while, but adds that they're not breaking that streak tonight. That's followed by a comment about over-sexed souls in Hell, and then him crawling into the single bed with her. She comments on the fact that nothing has happened in that room in 50 years "kind of turning me on." They then kiss and have sex, and while nothing is seen, we hear the rhythmic squeaking of the old bed during the act.
A dog sitter comments on Marley humping her leg.
Jenny announces she's pregnant again.
Jenny shows cleavage.
A miscellaneous couple makes out, lying side-by-side, on a beach.
Jenny is pregnant again.
John tells Sebastian he's not leaving Jenny (despite her now being bitter), with Sebastian asking what if Jenny fails to perform her "wifely duties."
At the hospital following the birth of the third Grogan child, one of the boys states that his dad said the girl's name was "whoops" (meaning she wasn't planned).
We see John shirtless in a pool.
We see miscellaneous women in bikinis.
After his birthday party, Jenny suggestively asks if he's ready for his birthday present (she asks that again after the following). After a little talk, she then gets up and removes her clothing (we see her bare back and a very brief and fleeting glimpse of a tiny part of the side of her bare breast), and does a cannonball into the pool (nothing explicit is seen). He then removes his clothes and jumps in (no nudity) and the two start kissing in the pool, but Marley interrupts them, although pool sex is implied.
VIOLENCE
Various scenes feature Marley tearing up, destroying things, or causing other damage, but none of it's done with malicious intent (he's just being a rambunctious dog).
There's a scream from next door at night, and John and Marley rush out to find the teenage or young twenty-something woman living next door holding her side, from having been stabbed by an attacker (not seen). John then comforts her.
MORE THAN A MOVIE:
Family Wheels
Form trios with a sheet of paper and a pencil - Choose a LEADER!
LEADER SAYS: We're going to examine Joseph's family. To do this, you're going to draw something called a "family wheel," which is a diagram that identifies the communication lines in a family. Here's an example:
In this family wheel, I'm in the middle because we're exploring how I relate to everyone else in my family. I communicate well with my dad, so I've drawn a straight line with arrows at both ends, signifying that the communication goes in both directions. My mom reaches out to me, but I don't often reciprocate, so I've drawn a straight line with an arrow pointed to me. On the other end of the line, I've drawn an X. My brother Scooter and I fight all the time, so I've drawn a zigzag line between us with arrows at both ends. And my dog Fido and I aren't communicating at all, so I've drawn a line with X's at both ends.
Now that you've learned the finer points of creating family wheels, we're going to read Genesis 37:2-28 and create a family wheel that illustrates Joseph's family. Since we're examining how Joseph related to the rest of the family, draw the diagram with Joseph at the hub of the family wheel.
DRAW THE WHEEL
LEADER ASKS:
What were the hurts in Joseph's family?
How did those hurts develop?
Look at the Joseph family wheel. What effect did those hurts have on the family?
What responsibility did Joseph's brothers have for the family's hurts? What responsibility did Joseph have?
Get a sheet of paper and a pencil for everyone in your trio. Have everyone diagram his or her own family. Then discuss these questions:
LEADER ASKS:
What are your family's hurts?
How did those hurts develop?
Look at your own family wheel. What effect have those hurts had on your family?
What responsibility does each of your family members, including yourself, have for those hurts?
LEADER SAYS: Joseph's brothers did a horrible thing to him when they sold him into slavery. Their action affected the whole family. But Joseph had his part too. He upset his brothers when he strutted around in his new coat and predicted that his brothers would bow down to him.
We all play a part in the hurts our families experience-parents, stepparents, siblings, stepsiblings, and us. But God can heal our family's hurts. Let's see how he healed Joseph's family.
Now we're going to read Genesis 45:1-15 and create new family wheels for Joseph's family based on what happened in the passage.
DRAW THE WHEEL
LEADER ASKS:
What made this family transformation possible?
How could God heal your family's hurts in a similar way?
LEADER SAYS: Joseph could have held a grudge against his brothers. In their time of need, Joseph could have let them suffer. Instead, he forgave his brothers for what they had done to him. And because he forgave them, God healed his family's hurts.
What one thing can you do in the coming week to begin to make a better family wheel for yourself. For example, someone may choose to forgive a brother or sister for ruining a favorite clothing item.
Close in prayer for a strong, loving and forgiving family.
SCRIPTURE Gen 37:2 -45:15
