Marley & Me

Marley & Me (2008)

Name: Marley & Me
Genre: comedy drama, romantic comedy film
Released: 2008
Duration: 120 min
Cast: Alan Arkin, Ana Ayora, Ann Dowd, Bryce Robinson, Clarke Peters

A young couple adopt a rowdy Labrador, and over thirteen years he disrupts and shapes their growing family.

Details: 120 min · comedy drama · romantic comedy film
Directed by: David Frankel
Format: Live-action
Country: United States
Animals: Dogs

PetActing ratings

4/5 Paw Score

Funny, warm and devastating; bring tissues.

Does the animal die?

Reveal answer (spoilers)

Yes, an animal dies.

Marley grows old and is put to sleep at the end, after a long life with the family.

Is an animal hurt or in danger?

No animals in danger on screen

No animal is in danger on screen beyond illness near the end.

Real animals or CGI?

Real animals

Mostly real dogs.

On-set animal welfare

Not publicly documented.

Tearjerker level

💧💧💧💧💧 5/5

The ending is one of the saddest in dog movies.

Kid-friendliness (animal scenes)

Ages 10+

The mood is sad for younger children, and there is adult content in the human story.

Breed / species accuracy

Not applicable

Breed accuracy not assessed in this draft.

Animal cast

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Sources

title, release year, runtime, genres, directors, countries, identifiers: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
cast: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: www.wikidata.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: en.wikipedia.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)
animals in the film: en.wikipedia.org (retrieved 2026-10-24)

Facts last checked 2026-10-24. Ratings are PetActing's own opinion, never copied from other sites.