@AL-ReviewBody:After the journalist John Grogan's tear-jerking memoir Marley & Me sold six million copies and stayed at the number one slot on the New York Times Best Seller list for 23 weeks, there was only one remaining certainty - a movie adaptation would be made. That film, which charts the 13-year life of a zany Labrador retriever called Marley and his profound effect on the lives of his owners, John (Owen Wilson) and Jennifer (Jennifer Aniston), and their subsequent three children, has already grossed more than $140 million (Dh514m) at the US box office. The story, clearly, has a popular appeal. Yet anyone who has read the book, and fallen, begrudgingly or otherwise, for its sporadic philosophical ruminations (Marley's encroaching death reminds John of life's brevity) or its powerful emotional uppercuts (Jennifer's miscarriage is handled beautifully) will be sorely tested by an achingly formulaic movie from the "wacky dog" school of family-friendly filmmaking - see Turner and Hooch, Beethoven and My Dog Skip. The movie's Marley breaks lamps, chews doors, pulls over tables and swallows necklaces, which is about as entertaining as it sounds, but nonetheless irks John and Jennifer, who have been given a phoney Hollywood arc: he doesn't want kids, she does, so he needs to, like, "mature". The biggest problem, however, is Marley himself (played by 22 different pooches). Dogs can't act. His big death scene is thus, nothing more than a dog lying down. As such, and at best, the movie is America's Wackiest Animals writ large.
* Kevin Maher
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.