Marmaduke (2010)

This summer, we took our five-and-a-half year old to watch several kid friendly movies such as How to Train Your Dragon (Single Disc Edition), Toy Story 3, Shrek 4, etc. It is rather difficult to find a movie that a child and adults can enjoy together. When "Marmaduke" popped up at our local dollar movie theater, we decided to give it a try after receiving positive feedback from our friends with kids.

I can't really compare this movie with the comic strip which I grew up with. The writers have definitely used some creative license with the plot. Here, Marmaduke the Great Dane (voiced by Owen Wilson) is living happily in Kansas with his human family, the Winslows when Phil Winslow (Lee Pace) gets offered a promising new job with Bark Organics in the OC, California. The rest of the family is reluctant to make the big move but they do it anyway. Marmaduke finds himself in strange new surroundings, and discovers how even dogs' lives can be complicated with a social divide between the pedigrees, led by Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland) and his girlfriend Jezebel (Fergie) and the non-pedigree breeds aka mutts such as Maizie (Emma Stone),Raisin and Giuseppe. Marmaduke falls hard for Jezebel and inevitably ends up in a pickle when he attempts to be something he is not in a bid to win Jezebel's affections and gain the respect of the other dogs.

The human-centered plot is secondary to the dog-centered story, mainly revolving around Phil's attempts to please his demanding, eccentric boss (played by William Macy) and balancing the demands of work and family, which Phil fails at miserably.

The action is fast-paced so the youngsters in the audience don't get a chance to get fidgety (a great plus!), but the story is rather derivative and if you have high expectations for a well-plotted, intelligent movie then this is not it. On the other hand, if you just want to watch a fun movie with lots of dogs (many different breeds, and lots of well-groomed beautiful dogs such as Afghan hounds, etc.) then this might just entertain. It kept our daughter's attention and oh, we also loved Marmaduke's step-brother Carlos the Cat (George Lopez) and the Chupadogra (voiced by Sam Elliott)!

Why are people so critical toward dog movies? It's for the family to enjoy together, if you love dogs. I've never actually read any of the comics, so I can't compare it. Marmaduke is a huge Great Dane that lives with the Winslow family. They soon move to California, and it gives Marmaduke a chance to reinvent himself. At the dog park, he makes friends with Mazie, Guiseppe, and Raisin. He also makes an enemy with Bosco, who is very controlling and jealous when it comes to Jezebel. Eventually, he'll have to decide who truly are his friends. It gets a little emotional toward the end. I highly recommend MARMADUKE!!!

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My son enjoyed this movie (8), it was doing okay with me until the female dogs entered the scene. I hate children movies that try to incorporate adult themes in the scheme. Marmaduke is attracted to one female while his female friend is attracted to him.

Can kids just be kids and not so concerned about relationships yet? They'll get plenty of that as teenagers.

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It was a pretty good movie, however, for a kids movie it had too much adult humor. It is not something I would suggest getting for your kids Dvd library.

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Before I review this film I want to state for the record that I do like smart family friendly films(I happen to love the comic strip Marmaduke also), but unlike Alvin and the Chipmunks or How to Train your Dragon, this film is just one bad joke after another. I'm sure the really little kids will find something to laugh about here and parents may like the film because their kids like it, but for everyone else this film is boring with very little humor.

The film starts and ends with a dog F A R T joke(ha-ha very funny)! This isn't as bad as the two Chihuahua movies, but it isn't so much better than I can give it above a 1 1/2 star rating......probably 2 1/2 stars for very young children, but there are so many better films to introduce your children to. Please give your kids more credit than this steaming pile!

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