MARMADUKE
He ought to stick to the funny pages
by Michael O’Sullivan
Like its titular hero, the gawky
Great Dane of comics fame, “Mar- maduke” the movie is an awkward thing. Part silly, talking-animal comedy — replete with toilet hu- mor and lame wordplay of the sort that delights 5-year-olds — it also involves, for much of the last half- hour, the prospect of our hero go- ing to that big doghouse in the sky. What’s up with that? After
“Marley & Me” is Owen Wilson (who provides the voice of Marma- duke) now contractually obligated to make movies every other year or so about losing a beloved pet? The film’s final reel — in which Marmaduke runs away from home and is swept away by a broken wa- ter main — is bizarrely intense. I wasn’t exactly sitting on the edge of my seat, but I can imagine that a lot of the movie’s target demo- graphic will be. It’s like an episode of “Trauma”tacked onto the end of “Doctor Dolittle.” As for the rest of “Marmaduke”
— you know, the funny part — it’s just not very funny. Lines like “Get your bark on,” “Who let the dogs out?” and “Cowabarka” abound. Many of the jokes revolve around excretory functions. Set in Southern California, where Marmaduke’s family has moved from Kansas, the story fol-
holy rollers from 26
school dropout named Rachel, thumping Amsterdam nightclubs, exotic sushi dinners and designer clothes. It’s no contest. But it should have been.
Sam throws out 20 years of reli- gious instruction too easily: It feels like one moment he’s refusing to shake hands with Rachel (Ari Graynor) “out of respect” for her, and the next he’s accepting an ecstasy tablet from her tongue. It’s an unreal- istic leap for a young man, raised in a strict Orthodox household, to sud- denly lie to his father, stop keeping kosher and sell drugs. Still, Graynor plays a convincing
seductress, wearing a bright red tube dress, slowly licking a lollipop or rubbing up against Sam, cooing, “I think this is the softest jacket in the entire universe.” That’s the ec- stasy talking; Rachel is almost al- ways “rolling,” slang for tripping on the drug (and the meaning of the title of the movie). Non-Jews may not appreciate the stomach-churning blasphemy of Sam smuggling pills inside of his tefillin, small boxes attached to
lows two threads. The first has to do with doggy politics: whether the pedigreed dogs at the park are better than the mutts, which ap- parently include Marmaduke (there’s a reference to him being a mixed breed). He tangles with Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland), the park’s alpha male, while flirting with Bosco’s girlfriend, a collie named Jezebel (singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas), even as Mar- maduke ignores the scruffy mutt who really loves him (Emma Stone). Meanwhile, Marmaduke’s own-
er (Lee Pace) must negotiate the office politics of the organic dog food company he works for, trying to please a demanding boss (Wil- liam H. Macy) without alienating his own family. In parallel devel- opments, both man and beast will learn the importance of being true to oneself. This is all well and good, but the movie is characterized less by this uplifting message than by fre- quent references to a well-known chain of pet supply superstores, sponsors of a dog surfing contest that is integral to the story. I won’t mention the name; the movie it- self is already like one long com- mercial. As for all the lowbrow humor and groaning puns, I can’t say I wasn’t warned. A few minutes into the movie, Marmaduke releases an explosive bit of flatulence in his owners’ bed. “I know, it’s juvenile,” he says, “but it’s all I’ve got.” Now that’s what I call truth in
advertising.
osullivanm@washpost.com
PG. At area theaters. Contains potty humor, drug references and scary situations. 87 minutes.
B
the head and arm by thin leather straps that are supposed to con- tain Torah passages, and some of the Yiddish and Hebrew words might fly by, too. What the film lacks in tension in Sam’s decision to go to the dark side, it makes up for with suspense: Will the drug ring get away with its crimes, get busted by the feds . . . or worse? This intrigue — plus Eisenberg’s wide-eyed purity and Graynor’s writhing in skimpy outfits — is plenty reason for viewers to stay put for the swift 89-minute show. As Sam slides deeper into his
new role as a drug mule, the busi- ness skills he learned in his father’s humble fabric shop on Delancey Street serve him well in his negoti- ations with kingpins. That’s just about the only upside to this one- dimensional depiction of the Ha- sidic Judaism, and it’s no match for a flood of serotonin.
saslowr@washpost.com
R. At Landmark’s E Street Cinema. Contains drug content throughout and brief sexual material. 89 minutes.
BB½
FamilyFilmgoer
by Jane Horwitz
AND OLDER
8
MARMADUKE(PG). The ability of kids 8 and older to enjoy “Marmaduke” (based on the comic strip) will de- pend in part on how they react to see- ing animals move their lips (thanks to digital effects) when they “talk” to one another. Some may find it a tad creepy. “Marmaduke” puts the ram- bunctious Great Dane in Orange County, where his family has moved. But Marmaduke isn’t prepared for the dog park, which is just like high school. Marmaduke is befriended by mixed-breed Mazie, but he gets a crush on Jezebel, a gorgeous collie who hangs with Bosco the bully. Try- ing to get in with the in crowd gets Marmaduke into a lot of trouble.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Though the cast features a lot of lovable canines, there are moments that could scare kids younger than 8. Marmaduke and Mazie are nearly carried off by a del- uge of water in a storm sewer. At oth- er times the dogs are put in threaten- ing confrontations with one another, though none of them does more than growl. Marmaduke’s cat buddy Carlos gets swung around by the tail and los- es some fur. There is much animal toi- let humor.
SHREK FOREVER AFTER (PG). This
fourth installment in the animated “Shrek” series cleverly echoes classic fairy tales and the beloved movie “It’s aWonderful Life.” Shrek, now daddy to three babies with Fiona, finds par- enthood too hard. He misses being a single ogre. He meets the magical con man Rumpelstiltskin and unwit- tingly signs away a crucial day from his life. Far Far Away becomes an aw- ful place where ogres are slaves be- cause he, Shrek, never existed. Now a stranger to Fiona, Donkey and Puss in Boots, he must win their trust and Fiona’s heart to break the spell.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Since it’s the first Shrek film in 3-D, the action se- quences are a bit harrowing. Charac- ters fall from great heights or are pur- sued by witches on broomsticks. There is a brief dragon attack. The idea that a parent could get tired of parenting and want to run off is a rather mature theme.
PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF
TIME. Teens who like action flicks mixed with a bit of sword-and-sorcery
13
PG-
JOSEPH LEDERER
Great Dane Marmaduke moves to California and finds himself falling for collie Jezebel in the family comedy “Marmaduke.”
may take to the thundering battles and nifty special effects in this movie, based on the video games. The vio- lence is intense, but largely blood- less. In the prologue we meet Dastan, a fearless street urchin who defies the Persian king’s guards. The king admires the boy’s bravery and adopts him. As an adult, Dastan, his adoptive brothers and their uncle conquer a holy city. Inside her besieged city, Princess Tamina protects a mystical dagger that can turn back time. When Dastan becomes a suspect in the Per- sian king’s murder, he and Tamina, though suspicious of each other, flee together with the dagger.
THE BOTTOM LINE: This is awfully vi- olent for preteens. The sounds of peo- ple being pierced through with blades and arrows are vivid. There is sexual innuendo, most of it mild, though at one point, Princess Tamina seems briefly in danger of being assaulted. The narrative gets frustratingly convo- luted.
IRON MAN 2. This crackerjack se- quel is relentlessly entertaining and teens will likely be among its fans. It does everything with style and wit — even cliches about the superhero’s unhappy childhood. Mickey Rourke is wonderfully icky as a punk-inspired Russian physicist with a grudge against Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), billionaire arms manufacturer and inventor of the weaponized Iron Man suit. The film opens with Stark on a huge ego trip, chided by his girl Friday, Pepper Potts. The Russian comes after him in a suit that hurls lightning bolts, and all heck breaks loose.
THE BOTTOM LINE: The violence is loud, but the human damage mini- mal. There is frisky but generally mild sexual innuendo, mild profanity, toilet humor and drinking. The prologue shows the Russian physicist with his father in what could be viewed as an act of euthanasia. The overall inten- sity factor could be too much for some middle-schoolers.
GET HIM TO THE GREEK. Discrimi-
nating moviegoers 17 and older will appreciate this adult comedy, which follows the adventures of a wildly dis- solute British rock star and the record company intern who tries to tame him. Russell Brand reprises his role as Aldous Snow from “Forgetting Sa- rah Marshall.” Snow is lonely and off the wagon in London. Aaron Green is sent by his boss to bring Snow to L.A. in time for a concert at the Greek Theatre. Easier said than done. There’s not a line of cocaine, a joint or a woman that Snow won’t stop for.
R
THE BOTTOM LINE: This is not for kids younger than 17 unless they have very open-minded parents. The graphic portrayal of drug abuse, drunkenness and sexual promiscuity (with some nudity) is wholly adult. There is also strong profanity and oc- casional mayhem.
SPLICE. Sci-fi/horror buffs 17 and older may get a zing out of this spare, paranoid tale of science gone ethical- ly off-course. Clive and Elsa are genet- ic engineers who create uncomplicat- ed new life forms that produce pro- teins for a drug company. Elsa, however, is more interested in creat- ing advanced life forms. Soon, she and Clive have concocted a creature that includes human DNA. She/it has a tail (with a lethal stinger), kangaroo- like legs and a sort of bisected skull. Elsa starts treating her like a child.
THE BOTTOM LINE: This is for col- lege-age teens and older. It includes several violent encounters. There are three very explicit sexual situations, one with nudity and a rape. There is occasional strong profanity.
weekend@washpost.com
Horwitz is a freelance reviewer.
Watching with kids in mind
29
THE WASHINGTON POST • FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 2010
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