Lee Pace in "Marmaduke"
courtesy of Fox Home Entertainment
“A Boy (Er Man) and His Dog”

Even though the new to DVD movie “Marmaduke” is about a man and his dog it does not possess the “specialness” to be a big screen film. It is the kind of entertainment you would expect to find shown in an “After School Special” or on the “Disney Channel.” It is kid friendly to be sure but that alone is not enough to make it must see movie entertainment.

Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson) is a huge Great Dane that lives with the Winslow family in Kansas. The father in the family is Phil (Lee Pace), mother is Debbie (Judy Greer) and there are three kids. One day Phil comes home and announces he has a new job and the family, plus the dog and cat pets, is moving to California.

In California Phil takes Marmaduke to the Dog Park where he meets the area dogs. They are divided into a class system of mutts and pedigrees. The leader of the mutts is Mazie (voiced by Emma Stone) and the leader of the pedigrees is Bosco (voiced by Keifer Sutherland). Marmaduke is shunned by the pedigrees but accepted by the mutts. 

The rest of the film concerns Marmaduke’s attempts to be accepted by the pedigrees and the trouble that leads him into. You know there is going to be a happy ending, probably with a message and moral included in it. You also know, if you saw the trailer, that you are going to get to see the dogs dance.

Wilson’s voice goes along with the persona of Marmaduke and makes him a likable talking pet (of course the humans can’t hear him). You do get to see the dogs’ mouths move when they talk which is a bit strange. Even a cat gets into the picture since the Winslows have two pets. It is a cat named Carlos (voiced by George Lopez).

The human actors make no impact at all. Even the usually wonderful William H Macy, who plays Phil’s new boss, is unimpressive. It is a part any twelve actors could have done and done just as good as Macy does. Pace and Greer are bland beyond belief. The child actors are a little bit better.

“Marmaduke” is certainly a movie you can let your children watch and they will have a little bit of fun with the whole thing. That way you can make sure they are safe and you can do something else while they are entertained for two hours..

A few years ago Tyler Perry made a movie version of his play “Why Did I Get Married/” It was a fair success. Now he follows it with a sequel titled “Why Did I Get Married Too?” One trip to this well was enough. The cast, returning from the first film, is good enough but the story is shrill and unnerving. By the time a tacky ending arrives the audience is ready for something a little lighter and a little brighter. Where is Madea when you need her? 

The storyline follows four couples and their ups and downs in marriage. They are Terry and Dianne (Tyler Perry and Sharon Leal); Gavin and Patricia (Malik Yoba and Janet Jackson); Troy and Sheila (Lamman Rucker and Jill Scott); Marcus and Angela (Michael Jai White and Tasha Smith). Sheila’s ex-husband Mike (Richard T. Jones) also is still a part of the couples’ lives.

Each of these couples has problems which are explored over the course of the film. Some are treated lightly while others are given more depth. In each relationship the problems dominate the plot although there are intermittent stretches of humor. The film seems to be building to a cohesive resolution of the stories but then it doesn’t. It just cuts off with many of the problems being unresolved. Maybe that is Perry’s subtle way to set up “Why Did I Get Married Three?”

The actors are all competent in their roles with Janet Jackson being selected to get the most dramatic scenes. She is very impressive at times and less so at others. She does show a willingness to be seen at her most disheveled. Perry’s acting indicates he could have handled a more difficult role but is never given the opportunity to do more than react to Leal’s performance.

Louis Gossett, Jr and Cicely Tyson pop up for a cameo as a long time married couple. What they add to the plot is never discerned. They have their two scenes and are not seen again.

As a general rule Perry’s movies are either a lot of fun or full of heartwarming events, and sometimes both. This movie however is just too laden with the burdens of the various relationships. Every couple in this film has a boatload of problems and they are not handled in such a manner as to offer solutions. 

Since there is not a sense of resolution to this film the audience might wonder what is its purpose. Is it supposed to give finality to the issues raised in the first film or is it setting up the third chapter in a series of movies? Only Tyler Perry knows, and for now he isn’t telling.
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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