JAM Reviews Marmaduke from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Marmaduke: Blu-Ray/DVD Combo: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Review by JAM

Take one big dog, a family in transition, and a brand new home and then stir, shake, and pour it all out and you get the family comedy Marmaduke from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

Phil Winslow (Lee Pace) is a man trying to get ahead in the world while trying to do his best for his wife Debbie (Judy Greer) and kids Barbara (Caroline Sunshine), Brian (Finley Jacobsen), and baby Sarah. Oh yeah, cannot forget the family pets Carlos the cat (voiced by George Lopez) and the Great Dane himself Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson). Taking a new job on the West Coast to give his family more leads to adventures galore with the family and especially Marmaduke as everyone discovers that fitting in is often the hardest thing to do and sometimes we need to take the time to talk to the ones we love.

Marmaduke’s adventures involve the usual making new friends, investigating his new environment, and getting in heaps of trouble. Keep an eye out for surfing competitions, junkyard dogs, and women troubles as Marmaduke rules the roost in this fun family comedy. Oh yeah, and watch out for the dog farts!

Marmaduke employs the awesome vocal talents of a Hollywood who’s who from Owen and George mentioned above to hip young stars like Emma Stone and Fergie to comedy heavyweights the Wayans brothers (Marlon and Damon) to Hollywood veterans Sam Elliot and Kiefer Sutherland. Put it all together and it makes for a movie without high expectations but with some excellent lessons to share.

JAMS Ink on Marmaduke

At first glance, this movie looks to be one of the “I’ll rent it for the kids, but I really don’t want to watch it” flicks, and I really cannot argue with that perception. I felt the same way when I started watching and then I realized that as much as it is a kid flick with some flatulent humor, it does have a family story at the core of it. The idea of a father trying his best for his family but never really asking what they need runs to the core of our daily lives oftentimes. I know I would sacrifice anything in the world for my family, but I also know I don’t always listen as well as I should. Sometimes a dog-farting comedy is needed to remind us of that.

Count me as one of the big Owen Wilson fans, whether as a voiceover or a comedic actor in a number of my favorite movies. Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights with Jackie Chan are two movies I can watch any day of the week, Cars is a great one for me and the kids, and the mini parts in the Night at the Museum movies make him fun to watch. This one is not going to go to the top of my list for him though, but the kids may want to watch again.

For all the reviews that have really attacked this movie, the only review that counts for me is the review of HollywoodTeenZine’s Junior Reporter Natalia. If a little kid can enjoy it and not worry about the subtle nuances, plot issues, and acting abilities of animated animals, then who am I to judge it overall. This movie was made to entertain, and it entertains the people it needs to.

EXTRAS

Two-Disc Blu-ray Disc/DVD Combo Pack Special Features

Disc One:
• Marmaduke Blu-ray
• Cowabarka! Surfing Dogs
• Canine Casting
• Marmaduke Mayhem! Gag Reel
• Deleted Scenes
• Puppy Marmaduke and Kitty Carlos: Home Movies

Disc Two:
• Marmaduke widescreen feature film

DVD

Disc One:
• Marmaduke Widescreen Feature Film
• Cowabarka! Surfing Dogs
• Canine Casting
• Deleted Scenes

This movie is not one of the all-time cinematic achievements that needs to be seen on Blu-ray, so the real reason for the Blu-ray copy is the extra extras. Once again, since this film is really for the little kids in your life the extras are geared towards the little ones. From the surfing dogs in Cowabarka to the gag reel to the puppy and kitty home movies, the extras add a little bit of fun to the pot for the kids, and some for the adults too. For me, the surfing dogs setup was really kind of cool to see.

Marmaduke from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment slams, crashes, and slobbers its way onto store shelves on August 31, 2010 so grab a copy and see who really let the dogs out!

MARMADUKE
Street Date: August 31, 2010
Screen Format: Widescreen - 2.40:1 (All)
Audio: English 5.1 DTS HD Master Audio
5.1 Dolby Digital in Spanish/French/Portuguese (Blu-ray)
English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish/French Dolby Surround (Standard)
Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Cantonese, and Mandarin (Blu-ray)
English and Spanish (Standard)
U.S. Rating: PG
Total Run Time: 88 minutes
Closed Captioned:

Remember check out this review and more from JAM at www.hollywoodteenzine.com for teens and tweens, and at http://jammoviereviews.blogspot.com for movies of all genres and ages.