Jennifer Aniston’s puppy problems

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Several months ago, one of the tabloids ran a story about how Aniston’s beloved dog Norman hated John Mayer. Something about Norman growling at Mayer, treating Mayer like the beta dog that he is. Well, according to the NY Daily News, the feeling it mutual – Mayer has banned Norman from Aniston’s house.

Jennifer Aniston is promoting her new doggy comedy “Marley and Me,” but her real pooches have been temporarily banished to the dog house . . . thanks to boyfriend John Mayer.

“John hates Jen’s dogs,” an inside source snitches to us, adding that Jen has left her beloved four-legged friends — Norman, a Corgi-Terrier mix, and Dolly, a white German Shepherd — at home in L.A. while promoting her film and playing with Mayer in New York City.

“John also hated [ex girlfriend] Jessica [Simpson’s] dog Daisy,” our insider laughs. While Jen’s rep calls said allegations “ridiculous and untrue,” we think John needs to honor Jen’s puppy love. After all, the film isn’t called “Mayer and Me.”

[From the Daily News]

I’m having a severe giggling fit just imagining Norman looking up at Jennifer and saying, “I don’t have a problem, you have the problem.” And I’m not even stoned. But here’s the lesson: if your guy hates your dog, kick the guy to the curb. No joke. There are other life lessons to be learned about dating John Mayer (something about “dark dicks” – I forget), but I won’t get into that now. But this isn’t Aniston’s only puppy problem! Marley & Me is receiving lukewarm reviews, with one reviewer even pointing out some fatal flaws in the script.

The screenplay by two Hollywood heavyweights, Scott Frank and Don Roos, derives from journalist John Grogan’s memoir about his young family’s amazingly untrained yellow Labrador. As he (Wilson) and wife Jenny (Aniston) pursue newspaper careers, and when babies start to arrive and Jenny turns into a full-time mom. Meanwhile, their dog consumes sofas, eats dry-wall, drinks from toilets, overturns garbage, breaks everything and swallows a valuable necklace.

The dog is shown in one sequence failing obedience school despite instructor Kathleen Turner’s stern demeanor. But the film never explains why the family failed to train Marley.

Since the dog endangers the small children in one scene, this particular nonchalance toward canine behavior can be construed as highly irresponsible. It might have helped if the filmmakers had worked out a scene showing that Marley, as dogs usually do, behaves differently around children than adults.

More troubling from a storytelling viewpoint is the total absence of conflict. An hour into the film, Jenny has a bad day with screaming kids and a misbehaving dog so she flips out, yelling at John and momentarily banishing Marley. But it’s over by nightfall. Otherwise, John’s editor (Alan Arkin) is pleased with his work as a columnist, John and Jenny love each other and the healthy family prospers. Marley’s erratic and explosive activities supply all the suspense, action and drama.

[From Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter]

So I guess they’re saying that the dog is the most interesting part of the film? Fascinating. Who would have thought that a film couldn’t rest on Aniston’s hair and body alone? (Me.) And I had no idea that the book or the movie had parts where the dog mistreats or roughs up kids. That’s seriously the one exception all dog-owners need to draw: if your dog is rough with children, the dog is no longer a family pet. No “ifs, ands, or buts” about it. But if your dog is just rough with John Mayer, that dog’s a keeper. *giggling fit imagining Norman biting Mayer*

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Jennifer outside the CBS studios where she was a guest on “The Late Show with David Letterman” on December 17th. Images thanks to Bauer-Griffin.

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53 Responses to “Jennifer Aniston’s puppy problems”

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  1. vdantev says:

    Maybe she shouldn’t have let CQ photograph her ‘puppies’ and kept them to herself. Hee.

  2. NotBlonde says:

    That story seems totally fabricated, as her rep says. John Mayer might not be a big fan of dogs, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be with someone who has them. Besides, if he really had a problem with them, he’d just leave and go have sex with the models who are inexplicably attracted to him.

    The second part of this story I can only comment on in context. As none of us have seen the movie, we don’t know what the scene is or looks like or even what it’s about.

    AND the movie is called MARLEY & Me. Of course the movie centers around the dog. That would be like saying Beethoven should have been all about the actors and not about the dog. Or that Flipper should have been more about the people and not about the dolphin.

    “More troubling from a storytelling viewpoint is the total absence of conflict. An hour into the film, Jenny has a bad day with screaming kids and a misbehaving dog so she flips out, yelling at John and momentarily banishing Marley. But it’s over by nightfall.”

    Um…how many people flip out at their family members and then it’s ok by later that day? I don’t hold grudges against my boyfriend, family members or my dog. Mostly because the dog doesn’t remember and they are the closest people in my life.

    And by the way, this reviewer from the Hollywood Reporter thinks women went and saw The Devil Wears Prada simply because of the costumes. Dude needs to get his head examined.

  3. Susan says:

    Actually Marley and Me is getting over 80% on rotten tomatoes right now. Most people are praising Jennifer for her acting in this movie. Watch this movie make a ton of money!

  4. vdantev says:

    And watch it sink into oblivion in about a week when the other holiday movies take over.

  5. Annie says:

    First rule of dating: Ditch the dude if he hates your dog.

    Dogs know something you don’t.

    And anyway, think of it like this, that dog will love you unconditionally til the day he passes, can you say the same for that guy?

  6. Call me Al says:

    “Nonchalance over canine behavior..highly irresponsible”? It’s supposed to be funny!!! Get over it!

  7. Susan says:

    No I think that this movie will be a huge hit. Jennifer is coming off her last movie with it grossing 4 times its budget. That was incredible. Watch Marley do even better. The average person loves to watch Jennifer on screen. For a while I wondered whether or not she would be considered a ‘big screen” movie star. It looks like she has made it. When you are blogged about every day on every blog. Some love you, some hate you (always a shows that the person influences many – you have never arrived until some hate you and try to put down your work) you have truly made it to the big screen. She is going to have a great year.

    And for the dog story – obviously you didn’t see John on the red carpet talking about dogs. He loves them. Jen must relaly laugh if she ever hears these stories. But like they say even bad press is press. And everyone in the US has had Jen’s names on their lips this last month. When she wants to make her presence known she sure can. She sure has the power to make everyone talk about her. She does her job well. And as for John and her. To cute together. They make a great team. I have always liked him didn’t know if I liked them together – but love them now. His red carpet stuff was adorable. Makes me love him more.

  8. tina says:

    Jen needs to end it with Mayer. He is not worthy of her. He is a typical jerk.

    I would definitely end a relationship if someone didn’t like my dog.

    People who don’t like dogs are not worthy of being human.

  9. Kaiser says:

    *shrug* I just don’t think it’s funny or cute when a dog endangers a child. That’s the one exception that has to be made for putting a dog down. And I don’t want to see that stuff on the big screen, either.

  10. Trace says:

    Kaiser – really enjoy reading your articles. Unfortunately, I have to agree with Susan. Marley and Me is getting good reviews on Rottentomatoes. So I don’t think it will bomb, but it may actually do well. So, Aniston lives for another movie. Ugh! As much as I can’t stand her, I have to admire her ambition and constant self-promotion to still remain in the spotlight and get movie roles despite her lack of talent.

  11. Robin says:

    Most movies about animals do well. Parents will take their kids to see it, and other people who read the book will go see it. But many will not as the dog dies, kind of like Bambi.

    That said Adam Sadler’s movie (a Disney film) will probably make the most money as he has a huge built in fan base and his movie has a happy factor built in. Predictions are for it to be first in revenue, then Marley and Ben Button to be in the top three grossing movies this weekend. Also Adam and her movies are in 3000+ theatres, many more than any other films, they are short so there will be more screenings of them per day (by comparison Ben Button is almost 3 hours long and will have fewer showings/day, in less than 3000 theatres as is Valkyrie and The Spirit). But this film and appearing in tabloids/blogs does not make JA a big movie star. She will not reach that height until she can pull in the audiences world wide, and that she has not been able to do. She is not known by name outside the US/UK. Her last film was a Vince Vaughn film produced by Vince, which cleverly played off her tabloid life and made money in the states. Vince went with ReeseW for his current hit, 4 Christmas, which has already made $100 million, proving that TBU made money due to Vince, not Jen (and Vince did not pick Jen for this film or the new one he is already making, he went younger). Her films are heavily dependent on her co-stars and this time the dog is the star. She cannot break out of the rom com type films, she is not getting roles in critically acclaimed films, and younger actors are getting many roles she would have previously been up for. Her recent behavior has turned some people off including me. But I will give her this, she has really promoted this film in every possible way. And if JM makes her happy and she him, then good for the both of them.

  12. NotBlonde says:

    Yea but Kaiser you don’t know the circumstances under which the dog puts a child “in danger”. This reviewer could be blowing it out of proportion and saying that they dog is ripping the kid’s face off or pushing the kid in front of a bus when really the dog could have opened the garage door and let the kid in where there are chemicals.

    We don’t know so making a comment about it before it’s seen in context is irresponsible.

  13. Kaiser says:

    That’s funny, Trace! I didn’t look at Rottentomatos, I just surfed Reuters and some of the straight news sites for the general idea of what people were saying about the movie. From what I saw, most reviewers thought the dog was cute, Owen was okay and Aniston, as always, was the weakest part of the film.

    I’m sure the movie will make money – family films usually do. But like Vdantev said, it won’t have some earth-shattering box office.

  14. HalleB says:

    Trace I agree with you as to this film not being a bomb. Kids are out of school and the movie is being promoted as kid friendly. I don’t agree with that as I have read the book and I found it sad in what happens to the dog, and I definitely will not see this movie. But it will help Jen get cast in another of her typical type roles. She is now firmly relegated to the same type roles as CameronD and KateH, women seeking a man to validate their lives, and the one thing she cannot change is that she is older than her main rivals for roles. No matter what anyone says, longevity for an actor means being able to successfully vary the roles one appears in, and Jen has not been able to make the transition from silliness to any kind of seriousness.

  15. hmm says:

    Actually Marley and Me is lower than Valkyrie on Rotten Tomatoes with M&M receiving 63% and V receiving 64% and it’s important to note that there are only 8 reviews.

  16. NotBlonde says:

    I take it none of you have seen The Good Girl…

  17. jennifer says:

    @ Trace – *snort* LOL

    I think it’ll do well. It sounds like the kind of lighthearted crap the majority of people enjoy, especially around the holidays.

    BTW “crap” excludes the puppy. Puppies (well, all animals) are ALWAYS excluded from the negative stuff by virtue of their “puppiness” (yes, I made up a word) LOL

  18. KDRockstar says:

    Hated the book. But I’m evil.

  19. MonicaBee says:

    @ Kaiser:

    I agree that dogs should not endanger children; however, NO dog (even my registered therapy dog) should not be left alone in the presence of children. Kids aren’t always dog friendly and vice versa. IMO, if a kid is endangered by the dog, it’s actually been endangered by the person who’s supposed to be responsible for the kid that’s at fault.

    Back on track: Have you read the M&M book? Some of the reviews I’ve read seem to go along with the book in that the dog was very disobedient and the owners were utter douchebags when it came to raising a puppy (especially a high energy breed like a Lab).

  20. Codzilla says:

    Dogs before men ALWAYS. Especially when said “man” is King Douche Mayer! Has life taught her nothing?

  21. MonicaBee says:

    Forgot to mention in my previous post: I have ALWAYS had dog, and I always will. I dated a man for 2-3 years that knew I had dogs, but never like them, and hated them being inside. After he found out that my dogs were still coming inside my house, we had a huge fight about it. Guess what? I still have my dogs. :p

    Fortunately, the man that I’ve been with for the past 6 years loves my dogs as much as I do. Together, we have five dogs, and they’re our kids. The cats on the other hand… 😉

  22. Cheyenne says:

    “Lighthearted crap” is not what I’m paying $10 to get into a movie for — and that’s with a senior citizen’s discount. For $10 I want some substance. I can watch lighthearted crap on the TV any day in the week.

  23. Cheyenne says:

    Oops.

    As of 7:15 p.m. NYC time, the dog movie is doing 50% on rottentomatoes.com — five positive reviews and five negatives. Doubt and Benjamin Button have 75% each, and Valkyrie is doing 63%.

    However, take heart, Jen fans — rottentomatoes.com is not a valid indicator of how well a film will do at the box office. It just says how the critics feel about it. Four Christmases is doing quite well despite getting a dismal 25% on rottentomatoes. So maybe there is hope for the dog movie. There are enough people out there who will pay to sit through “lighthearted crap”, although I have to say I am not one of them.

  24. Jane says:

    This review wasn’t biased @ all.

  25. morgs says:

    I have absolutely dumped men who haven’t shown my dog affection or treat her like a nuisance. She’s my kiddo and for you to be disrespectful of her is being disrepectful to me. You don’t have to roll on the ground with her, but if we got naked and she slept on your shirt that was tossed on the floor, don’t cop an attitude with me because it smells like dog. And yes, I’m still annoyed by that guy.

  26. DD says:

    Ya morgs, that guy sounds like a real douche bag.

  27. Granger says:

    I think this film will do well its first couple of weekends. Jennifer got everybody’s attention when she posed nude for GQ, so I’m sure the M&M producers are loving the “free” publicity!

    I still think it’s ironic that Jen recently stated in an interview that she wants people to shut up about her personal life and ask about her film roles instead, but then went ahead and did the naked photo shoot. Yes, it turned heads and got people talking … but not, as usual, about her acting.

  28. me says:

    Jen’s lip augmentation is starting to look obvious. Thats all.

  29. raven says:

    I’ve done a lot of dog rescue and you cannot believe the number of dogs coming into rescue because the boyfriend doesn’t like it. I completely believe this story about the dogs ending up in the dog house because Mayer doesn’t like them. I have not attacked Aniston over the whole Brad/Angelina thing, but if she dumps those dogs that are indoor pets outside in a doghouse for that jerk, then she’s a bigger bimbo than I ever thought and deserves everything she gets.

  30. roller says:

    this movie hasnt made its debut in my country yet but i cant wait to see it! haha @ jane. yea, this review wasnt bias at all!

  31. kate says:

    i would totally dump john mayer if my dog didn’t like him. or if my cat didn’t like him. or my neighbor’s guinea pig, or the crow sitting on the fence outside my house….

  32. joe says:

    Robin – not quite correct. Jen is a worldwide name at this point.

  33. Lilou says:

    Don’t care what RottenTomatoes says… Some wonderful movies have poor reviews and some crappy movies are good reviews!

    But I searched for “Marley and me reviews” on google, and they are not good… Most time it’s 2,5 stars (over 5).

    I really don’t know if it will be a succesful movie: it’s supposed to be a family movie for the holidays, but (as everyone knows) the dog dies at the end. Not sure you want to see that during the holidays with your children…

    Plus, Jennifer Aniston acting is just bad. The people who say she is a good actresse have never seen actresses like Cate Blanchett, Kate Winslet, Jodie FOster or Hillary Swank… She always plays the same caracter: same voice, same laugh, same gestures, same expressions, same tone… Take a clip of Bruce Almighy, Along came Polly, The Break Up or Marley and me, it’s always the same… I really don’t get how people think she can act. Seriously, that’s something that I really don’t get…

    Anyway, I have mixed feelings about this movie: I thought it will be another Beethoven (really funny) but it doesn’t look like it…

  34. lene says:

    Lilou:

    never saw the indie films she made, huh?

    “friends with money”,”the good girl”

  35. NotBlonde says:

    People always mention her mainstream films in which she does play the same character (which a TON of actors do) and make it seem like it’s the weirdest thing in the world.

    She’s an actress..she needs to make money so she makes mainstream films that she gets typecast in.

    Every now and then she’s moved out of that mold but there is nothing wrong with going where the money is.

    Beethoven was funny? Maybe when i was 8…

  36. Lilou says:

    Lene,

    I saw those movies (but I volontarely refered to the “famous” movies she made).

    If the Good Girl was good, Friends with money was a disaster. As for her acting, she made an obvious effort for the Good Girl, it’s her best performance, but it still cannot be called “good acting”.

    I find her really horrible when she plays (except for Friends which I love!). However, I can understand that people say she is not a bad actress, that she is OK, but I cannot understand how some people can call her a GOOD actress.

    PS: sorry for the double post: My computer had a virus when I send the first post and I thought it wasn’t send.

  37. Susan says:

    The Break Up only did well because of Vince? How come then Fred Claus only made 25 million international when The Break Up made 86 million international? Wedding Crashers made 75 million international. In fact The Break Up was his biggest international take. Think that was all him or was it Jennifer? Jennifer is known worldwide. Unsure where someone would get the idea that she wasn’t. She is now considered a movie star in her own right and once again saying that her movies only made money because of the man she is with is putting down the accomplishments of women. There is little doubt that Jennifer is a big box office draw. We will see this with Marley and Me as Own’s last movies have not done well. whatever you think of Jennifer it is sad that you cannot admit that she has arrived in the movie industry.

  38. Bodhi says:

    I’d dump a guy in a heartbeat if he didn’t like my dog! Luckily my husband & I met at the dog park! Now that sounds like a movie that JA could get through without screwing up too bad…

    I’m defiantly not going to see this movie. There is no way I’m going to spend money to get all attached to the doggie & watch it die. No way in hell.

    Jane & roller~ This piece isn’t a review

  39. lene says:

    i don’t like when people just say something to the mainstream movies she did, you know…i often think…she acts the way she did in the mainstream ones because that’s actually what most people want to see…rachel green.

    she acted really good in “the good girl”. got some really good critics. also for “friends with money”. the critics said she should just concentrate on indie movies like that. her performance on “friends with money” was way better than the perfomances of her costars. thats not my opinion of me as a fan of hers. thats actually from anistons german wikipedia site. sorry for my bad english 🙂

  40. geronimo says:

    I’d be very suspicious of anyone who didn’t like dogs. Full stop!

    Seriously, this movie will probably do fine as basic LCD holiday fare and will then fade quickly from the memory, like most JA movies do. And I’m with Lilou – Friends was JA at her best, she’s been living on past glories ever since. At best, since Friends, she’s been mediocre and one-dimensional.

  41. Susan says:

    Not sure how you can say her past glories since all her movies since Friends have made good box office money. Jen definitely did not play herself in Friends with Money. Jen is as good an actress as most out there. I say just give it up those of you who ‘hate’ her and admit that she has arrived into movie stardom. It will be easier than trying to pretend that she is unsuccessful. Wave a white flag in surrender – Jen has arrived. Just the multiple posts, the fact that everyone is waiting for her movie, Jen is about as big as it gets in hollywood. And she is living life on her own terms – good for her. And I don’t know about in your home towns but in my city Vogue is pretty much sold out – once again Jen probably has the biggest vogue of the year. Watch GQ sell too. Jen is a huge seller, her movies make great money, she is known worldwide, she is happy and in love with a rocker. Come on you may hate her but does it get much better than this. And please don’t start with the women are only happy if they are in a marriage like relationship and have children. Women are more than that. And don’t all movies quickly fade from memory? Just a few continue to live on like titanic. if a movie makes its money back and more it is very successful these days.

  42. Bodhi says:

    I don’t canvas news stands or book stores to see what their sales of Vogue & GQ are. Sorry. Nor do I “hate” Jen Aniston. I have no reason to & it would be a waste of time & energy.

    Look, some people don’t find her movies interesting or her acting believable. Big deal. As we are all well aware, we are all entitled to our own opinions.

  43. geronimo says:

    Susan – what is your problem? What I post here is my opinion. I personally don’t rate her as an actress and nothing you can say will make me change my mind about that. I like actresses like Frances McDormand, Laura Linney, Juliette Binoche, Toni Collette – multi-layered and multi-dimensional – is it too difficult for you to understand that alongside people like that, she barely qualifies as an actress? I repeat, IMO, she is living off the success that was Friends and people made the mistake of thinking she had more to offer as an actress than she’s since shown herself to have. If you like her and rate her, fine, enjoy her, but let those of us who don’t have our opinions.

    Edit: Agree, Bodhi. When did posting a negative opinion about her or her (lack of) acting abilities become a declaration of hate?

  44. Starla says:

    NotBlonde, I have seen The Good Girl & loved Jen in it.

    Kaiser, stick to your beloved Brad & Angie stories. You are too biased to say anything decent about Jen.

  45. Kaiser says:

    A clarification for all of those who thought I was in any way “reviewing” the film: I found the NY Daily News thing and thought it would go well with the Reuters/Hollywood Reporter review. I will not be doing a “review” of this film for several reasons: I don’t care for Aniston; I don’t like movies or books where animals die; and my latest reason, via the Reuters review, I don’t like when child endangerment is glamourized under the guise of “family fun”.

  46. dantev says:

    I take it none of you have seen The Good Girl…

    I’ve also never driven a nail through my tongue, that doesn’t make me a bad person. Jenn Vs Meryl Streep in terms of actresses of the age who can portray any part- Streep wins regardless of your feelings.

  47. Maritza says:

    Jen needs to hire the dog whisperer, that would be an interesting show to watch.

  48. vdantev says:

    Why Monica because it’s not all sunshine and puppy dogs for your great Hollywood heroes? Can’t take the heat, stay out of hell.

  49. monica says:

    can’t take the heat, stay out of hell….
    hahaha.
    so clever. such a witty voice. the smartest person on this board. maybe you should write things for us all to ponder.
    hahaha.

  50. daisy424 says:

    *checking with my toe*

    My husband and I saw Marley & Me and I must admit, I loved it. Packed theater at a 4PM matinee.

    The scene in question was Marley knocking over one of the kids, not a big deal, he is a huge dog. The kids loved Marley. Aniston’s character was fed up with kids, laundry, work, everyday stuff, she lost her temper. She loved Marley and wouldn’t give him up.

    I am not a Aniston fan by any means, to my surprise she was great in this role. The chemistry between Aniston and Wilson is believable and their banter is funny.

    Marley, as he should, steals the show. Anyone who has raised a puppy can relate to the struggle they go through with Marley. It brought back alot of memories (funny and not so funny) of raising our Lab, Scout from a puppy. The similarities are eerie. The dog eats drywall & answering machines for Christ’s sake.

    Not a dry eye in the house near the end, glad I brought tissue for myself. (Brought back recent memories of putting Scout down) All & all very well done and truly compassionate, sad but not over the top.

    I may lose some CB support here, but I would recommend this film and I will buy it on DVD when it is released.

  51. Bodhi says:

    That’s cool, Daisy. Thanks for your review. I may see it on DVD, we just hardly ever go to the movies & I want to see some other stuff more.

  52. Granger says:

    I read a review in a Canadian paper that said Aniston is good in this film because she finally leaves “most of her sitcom habits” behind. I’m glad to hear it. I still think she’s overrated, and I will always admire and respect actresses who are willing to take risks (most have already been mentioned here), but I’m more than willing to admit that Aniston is good enough in contemporary (usually fluffy rom-com type) films to make them pleasant to watch. She has her place in Hollywood as someone who works hard, gets the job done to the best of her ability, and generally draws a crowd. I agree that she should try to do more indie-type films that allow her to “branch out” a little more. But she’s chosen the safer route, and that’s her prerogative. Sadly, she’s approaching that age for women in Hollywood where the roles start to thin out, and the really good ones only go to a select few (who deserve them because they’re so talented), so she might as well take advantage of the big paycheques while she can get them. Because I just don’t believe she’ll still be as bankable in five years, much less that she’ll ever win an Oscar. She doesn’t have the range to win that kind of critical acclaim. She reminds me of Meg Ryan, who was really cute and fun in her day, but who basically wore out her welcome when people realized she was too old to be cute and fun, and just didn’t really have the chops to be anything more.

  53. coffee buzz says:

    Marley and Me is money to a great extent because Jennifer Aniston is money; Owen Wilson is… not so much