It’s been my experience that one of several things can happen when the movie rights to a book are sold and the work comes to life on the screen.
There is Doctor Kathy Reichs’ fictional character Temperance Brennan, whose best-selling fictional book series is quite the serious read yet has turned into a (also very popular) television character and show, Bones. While both women share the same name and career choice (forensic anthropologist), that is about all the two have in common.
In author Lauren Weisberger’s The Devil Wears Prada, both the book and the movie follow the same plotlines for almost the entire experience. The key word here is "almost" as the ending of the movie is quite different than the book even though the bottom line result is the same.
J.L. Rowlings’ Harry Potter book series and subsequent movies follow one another practically to a T. The major difference between the two comes into play because of the length and details of the books. In the films, some of the plots have had to be condensed and/or just omitted or alluded to in order for the running times to be movie theater-friendly.
Journalist John Grogan’s book and the movie Marley & Me falls into this last category.
Newlywed newspaper journalists John (Owen Wilson) and Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston) Grogan are settling into their life together. Jennifer is ready to expand their family with the addition of a baby. John feels owning a dog is the better route to take and surprises her with a Labrador puppy for her birthday. Marley (named for musician Bob Marley) becomes an integral member of the family, albeit troublesome at times, even as children eventually brought into the fold. It is simply, as the full book title suggests, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog.
While I again mention the book, reading it in advance of viewing the movie is not an issue. The movie stands on its own as a heartwarming comedy just fine. It doesn’t hurt that beside the two human leads, the rest of the cast do their turns well. Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy’s Mark Sloan) is cast as Sebastian, fellow journalist and John’s best friend. Think Dr. McSteamy with a laptop instead of a stethoscope, still a bit smarmy and a ladies' man to boot. Alan Arkin plays Arnie Klein, editor of the newspaper John writes for in Florida. This well-known character actor portrays the sort of editor that any writer would want as his boss, fair yet challenging and someone who enjoys his job. Dog trainer Mrs. Kornblut is portrayed by Kathleen Turner. While a relatively small part, she’s pivotal in cementing Marley’s character early on. Played for broad comedic relief within the context of a comedy isn’t easy to do; however, Ms. Turner does so with great gusto and aplomb.
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