Doggone sweet 'Marley & Me' barks up all the right trees

You don't have to be a dog lover to appreciate the many charms of "Marley & Me."

But it doesn't hurt.

Based on the best-selling memoir by newspaper columnist John Grogan, "Marley & Me" tells the story of an unruly yellow lab dubbed by his owners the "world's worst dog." And while Marley does his best to live up to that title, the movie goes beyond the tale of a dog who considers the couch a chew toy.

Anyone who's ever loved a pup enough to forgive a penchant for damage, destruction and doing his business where he really shouldn't can surely relate to the Grogans and their long, fruitless battle to get Marley to behave.

Early in their marriage, John (Owen Wilson) decides a puppy is just the thing to muffle the ticking of his wife's biological clock. John and Jenny (Jennifer Aniston) make halfhearted attempts to train Marley, but he runs off whenever he has the chance, freaks out during thunderstorms and chews up everything in their small Florida home - including the drywall. Marley even gets thrown out of obedience class by an exasperated trainer (Kathleen Turner) for being a "bad influence on the others."

Time marches on, and the movie does a nice job of measuring life in moments both big and small.

The Grogan family grows, and so do the arguments and dissatisfaction. Jen, also a writer, gives up her career for her children, but grows resentful of the exhaustion. John gives up chances to take his career in the directions he once dreamed of - and watches with envy as his friend Sebastian (TV's "Dr. McSteamy" Eric Dane) dashes off to the world's hot spots in pursuit of big stories for The New York Times.

Through it all, Marley ages - even if, miraculously, Wilson and Aniston never do. Still, they show a sensitivity and maturity that make them more than just human sidekicks to their scene-stealing canine co-star.

Marley provides plenty of laughs and, be forewarned, tears. Kids will love him, while adults - especially if they've ever parented a pooch - will see lots of themselves in the Grogans.

John might never have imagined searching piles of dog poop for a necklace Marley ate. But finding a glitter of gold in a nasty, smelly mess speaks volumes about what everyday life is really like.

So in the end, "Marley & Me" is about much more than a dog who steals hearts and jewelry. It's about the choices we all make in life, about what we give up and what we ultimately get.