Film Reviews

Marmaduke

• Rating:
• Director: Tom Dey
• Starring: Christopher Mintz-Plasse
• Details: US/G 87 mins

With all the remakes and adaptations buzzing about right now it's surprising that Marmaduke, the popular comic strip that followed the adventures of the titular Great Dane and the Winslow family that kicked off in the '50s, is only getting its feature outing now. Marmaduke and his misadventures might be big in America, but will anyone care this side of the Atlantic? All the kids will see is 'a talking dog that farts' and that should be enough to sell tickets, however.
Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson, his second dog-related family movie outing after Marley And Me) is a Great Dane enjoying life with the Winslows in Kansas. When father Phil (Pace, The Fall) lands a job working for William H. Macy in California, the family up sticks and move to the beautiful O.C. There Marmaduke befriends other dogs at the local park and falls for Jezebel (Black Eyed Peas' Fergie) and angers her boyfriend and park 'alphadog' Bosco (Kiefer Sutherland). As the awkward Marmaduke tries to become cool to impress Jezebel, he ignores his friends (Emma Stone, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Steve Coogan) who liked him for who he was.
At 87 minutes, and even taking in the Winslow subplots (father Pace struggles with new job; mum Greer is bored; daughter Caroline Sunshine falls for surfer dude; son Finley Jacobsen doesn't want to play soccer), Marmaduke struggles to keep things ticking over. The animated mouths are nothing spectacular and can look at times as realistic as the oral actions of a ventriloquist's dummy. Parents will be thankful for two things, though: the story isn't a tired Marmaduke Come Home plot (the Fish Out Of Water story itself isn't exactly original either) and director Dey doesn't use 'Who Let The Dogs Out' on the soundtrack (the song is the basis of two jokes, however). They can also entertain themselves with the 'guess the celebrity voice' game – but apart from Wilson and Sam Elliot, it's hard to put a finger on anyone else, which leads to the age old question: why use them then?
But this is a kids movie and they're not going to be disappointed if all they are looking for are talking animals that fart and burp. In fact, they'll be in a talking animals that fart and burp heaven. Owen Wilson, who unlike Uncle Monty in Withnail And I, has now played The Dane, and his likeable narration has enough giggles too to keep the undemanding kids entertained.

Review by Gavin Burke