Marley & Me

Synopsis: After their wedding, newspaper writers John and Jennifer Grogan move to Florida. In an attempt to stall Jennifer's "biological clock", John gives her a puppy. While the puppy Marley grows into a 100 pound dog, he loses none of his puppy energy or rambunctiousness. Meanwhile, Marley gains no self-discipline. Marley's antics give John rich material for his newspaper column. As the Grogans mature and have children of their own, Marley continues to test everyone's patience by acting like the world's most impulsive dog.
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Family
Director(s): David Frankel
Production: 20th Century Fox
  2 wins & 4 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.1
Metacritic:
53
Rotten Tomatoes:
62%
PG
Year:
2008
115 min
$143,084,510
Website
3,698 Views


You know, there's nothing like the experience...

of raising your first dog.

Simplejoy of walking side by side

with your buddy out in the fresh air...

throwin'a stick.

Spending some quiet time-

just you and your very best friend.

Of course, that wasn't my experience.

That kid's not even me.

That's me, and that crazy hound

I'm chasing is Marley...

- the world's worst dog-

- Sorry!

- Or so I thought.

- Marley!

But our story begins

before Marley was born-

Four years before,

on my wedding day-

which also happened to be the day

of the worst freak spring blizzard...

in the history of southern Michigan.

Same day our car broke down.

We didn't care.

Ooh. God, that feels so good.

Ohh!

Wow. So, what do you think-

What do you think that means-

a blizzard on your wedding day?

Is that good luck?

Is that bad luck?

I think- I think it's good luck.

- How did I get you?

- What?

No, honestly. How did I-

How did I get that lucky?

Well, you know...

I get asked that question all the time.

Come on.

Are you kidding, honey?

You're part of the plan.

- The plan?

- Mm-hmm. My plan. Step one-

Meet an incredibly sweet,

smart, sexy man.

Done. Step two?

Marry you instead.

Oh, now-And step three-

- No, I don't think I can take any more steps.

- You don't wanna hear step three?

- Yeah. What's step three?

- It's easy.

- Be gentle.

- Move someplace warmer.

I knew you were gonna say that.

Shiny, happy people laughing

Meet me in the crowd

People, people

Throw your love around

Love me, love me

Take it into town

Happy, happy

Put it in the ground

Where the flowers grow

Gold and silver shine

Shiny, happy people

holding hands

Shiny, happy people

- Thank you.

- All right, you know you got this, right?

- Oh, yeah. I got it.

- Who are you?

- I'm John Grogan?

- No, you'reJohn friggin' Grogan...

who's about to get

a job as a reporter...

for a major metropolitan newspaper.

- Mmm. Mmm.

- Good. Good. But now I don't feel like getting out of the car.

- You have to. No, baby.

- Maybe we'll just drive around the block.

Come on, get out of the car. Get out.

- Now, who am I again?

- Oh, please.

Sebastian says you won some kind of award.

Mitchie. I have a Mitchie.

It's like a Pulitzer,

but from western Michigan.

A Mitchie.

So, tell me-What made you

leave the estimable...

Kalamazoo Gazette?

Well, as you know, Sebastian

and I were in college together...

And he w- He was-

He was always saying

how great south Florida is...

and that maybe my wife and I might enjoy it

here, so we decided to come down here.

- Are you a comedian too?

- Excuse me?

Like your friend over here.

- No.

- He's walking a very thin line.

It's a good thing he knows how to write.

So your wife is Jenny Havens?

Yes. Jenny Grogan-

'Cause we're married. She took my name.

- She get the job at the Post?

- Yes, she did.

- Why didn't they want you over there?

- Well, I didn't apply.

Jenny's more of a feature writer...

and I'm more of

a straight news writer.

- I thought this would be a better fit for that.

- You think you're better...

than the six journalism school graduates

that came here looking for work this morning?

I don't know if I'm better. L-

What I do know is that I have

a tendency to surprise myself.

Ten years ago I was doing bong hits

and playing Donkey Kong.

I never dreamed

I'd get into college, but I did...

and I graduated with honors.

And I never thought I'd get a job

at a real newspaper, but I did.

And I certainly never thought

I'd get a girl...

likeJenny Havens

to marry me, but I did.

- So?

- They've already got a guy on the metro desk.

Yeah.

- I'm sorry, honey.

- Mmm. So they're putting me on a little thing...

they like to call Desert Storm.

- You got the job?

- I got the job.

You got the job, baby! Ooh!

John Grogan, I knew it!

I just knew it! Okay, Look.

Watch this. Look.

See what happens?

"Job. Done. "

- Okay, so what's next? Lunch?

- House.

- House.

- House.

...planes that can

transmit remote television pictures...

of Iraqi ships and other targets.

Did- Did you get to the quote

about the speed bumps yet?

- "'Lf they save even one life"'-

- "'... it would be worth it. '

And with that, Jan Dickerson's eyes

filled with tears. "

- Filled with tears.

- You like that?

- Or is it too corny?

- Yeah. No.

Is it a little over the top?

Hey, honey, what happened

to the, uh- the Desert Storm piece?

- That's it. The injured girl's dad's in Kuwait.

- Oh.

- Is that not in there?

- Uh-

Uh-uh. I think they cut that.

They-They spelled your name wrong.

- "John Gorgon. "

- You're kidding. Let me see that.

- Forget it.

- Are you joking?

Forget it. You know what?

It's good. It's really good.

It's got the facts.

It's got color.

- It's a really solid piece.

- Thanks.

Well, I mean, I tried to breathe

some life into it, you know-

- Yes.

- I like this article. I'm almost done with yours.

This idea of voting machines

sounds really efficient.

Well, when you get

to the next page, you'll see...

- that I talk about what could happen.

- Hey, it- Oh, okay. I see.

- It continues.

- Yeah.

But actually, the rest of it...

is really just okay.

- It's actually kind of boring.

- No, no. L- It's-

- I'm enjoying this.

- Mmm.

Wow. They really gave you

a lot of space.

Oh, damn. Killed another one.

How am I ever supposed to take care of

a kid if I can't even keep a plant alive?

Well, what'd you expect, man?

You bought a house-

A house with a spare room.

What's the matter with a spare room?

It's empty, John, that's what's wrong

with it. You know what else is empty?

Her womb.

- I'm just worried thatJenny's at, like, step seven.

- What?

She's got her whole life

organized and planned out...

- according to these steps.

- Okay, that's scary.

Unbelievable.

You want my advice? Get her, like, a bird.

Or a puppy or something.

- A parakeet or something?

- Something other than you that she has to take care of.

You got a kid, you're a dad.

You're not you anymore.

- You got a dog, you're a-

- Master.

- You're still a guy.

- Still got a life.

- Exactly.

- And a dog.

Yeah, but you've stopped

her clock for a few years.

- I've never had a dog.

- There's nothin' to it. You feed 'em.

You walk 'em. You let 'em out

every now and again.

But it doesn't really matter. You're not

the one that's gonna take care of it, Jenny is.

- Sebastian!

- Yo.

Your travel's been approved.

Hit the road.

- Where you goin'?

- I'm going to Colombia.

I got a guy down there says he can

put me next to Pablo Escobar.

I'm doin' a piece-

I follow a single coca leaf from

the jungle to the streets of Miami.

That sounds like a good idea.

You gotta be careful down there-

- Gorman!

- G-Grogan.

Groden. There's a fire

in the county dump-

- Methane leak.

- Methane?

Yeah. I want two paragraphs

for the Blotter.

Methane. Woodward

and Bernstein, eat your heart out.

What kind of dog?

- You remember Caroline?

Rate this script:4.6 / 5 votes

Scott Frank

A. Scott Frank (born March 10, 1960) is an American screenwriter, film director, and author. He has earned two Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay nominations, for Out of Sight (1998) and Logan (2017). more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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