One of the biggest events this past holiday season was the film adaptation of the 2005 novel “Marley and Me.” People have been flocking to bookstores and movie theatres to hear the story of a man and his best pal: his dog. While millions of dog lovers can relate to this heartfelt story, how does the big budget film stack up against the novel?

The Book:
Author John Grogan focuses the majority of his book on his relationship with wife Jenny. In their early years of marriage, they decide to get a maniacal dog named Marley. While the story chronicles the life of “the world’s worst dog,” it also follows the family that Grogan builds. This memoir is laugh-out-loud funny, and the author’s journalism skills are apparent as readers fly through the pages of his story unable to put it down.

The Movie:
Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston tackle the roles of John and Jenny, and though neither of the actors have children themselves, they make for convincing parents. The duo’s surprisingly great chemistry brings the love story to life, and it’s hard not to laugh as the two deal with the antics of their insane Labrador. There’s also the addition of John’s human best friend, played by Eric Dane. While he may seem an unnecessary addition, the drooling females in the audience will likely disagree. The film explores the range of human emotions and the audience will laugh and cry with the Grogans throughout the flick.

The Results:
While both the movie and the book are winners, it’s tough to say which is better. The book has more details about John’s career as a journalist and it’s better to read Marley’s antics from Grogan himself. Since the book is well-written and humorous, the pages turn quickly and readers won’t believe how quickly they will finish reading it. The film, however, is an accurate depiction of the book and it’s surprising to see the filmmakers recreate the scenes of Marley jumping from cars, destroying garages and making a fool out of a dominating dog trainer. This is one of the few cases in which both media are stellar. “Marley & Me” is a story that should both be read and seen on the big screen.

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