Who's your audience?

After waiting my turn at my local redbox vending machine, I finally got a hold of Marley and Me. The kids had been wanting to see this one, so we settled in with our snacks and drinks for a nice family movie night. They're my favorite pastime, btw.

On a side note: I had asked one of my mommy friends what she thought of the movie, if it seemed okay for my kids' age (6 and 9). "It was good," she said. Then she lowered her voice. "But they do say 'crap' in it." I resisted the urge to laugh at this comment (we use bigger words than crap in my house--accidentally, I assure you), and made a note to rent the movie soon.

So we watched Marley and Me, expecting a nice family movie with a dog in it. And it was a really good movie. With a dog. Oh, and a few kids, as very minor characters. Because the main character, the one whose story we were watching, was a grown man (played by funny Owen Wilson), trying to figure out who he was.

THIS WAS NOT A CHILDREN'S MOVIE. And I'm not referring to the language, or the many sexual insinuations (and a miscarriage--really, 'crap' was the most inappropriate part of this movie to you?) in the story. I'm referring to the fact that this was a story only people over 30 could appreciate.

Now I'll admit, I never read the book (shame on me). But this movie was marketed as a kid's movie. And we all know why. It makes money that way. Very, very dishonest use of marketing.

Still, if you're over 30, enjoy this movie (with a big box of tissues, 'cause it's a whopper of a tearjerker). The dog is adorable.