Review: Marmaduke

The deficiency of fart jokes -- only two, actually -- doubtless will disappoint adolescent boys, and the novelty of Owen Wilson providing a California stoner-style voice for the title character, a humongous Great Dane, wears thin after 15 minutes or so. But Marmaduke still might end up fetching a tidy sum at the summer box office, given the relative lack of live-action, kid-centric fare currently available at megaplexes. Freely adapted from the long-running syndicated comic created by Brad Anderson and Phil Leeming, this uninspired comedy relies heavily on CGI trickery and aptly cast vocal talents for a multitude of gags involving anthropomorphic shenanigans. Clueless "two-leggers" remain totally oblivious as their canines -- and an impudent cat voiced by George Lopez -- freely converse with one another. That's the central gimmick, and helmer Tom Dey (Failure to Launch) milks it for all it's worth, then continues milking, like a dairy farmer desperate to make the mortgage.

You can read the rest of my Variety review here.

I pray to God this isn't true, but....

The National Enquirer is reporting (and the Drudge Report is linking the report) that Owen Wilson attempted suicide today. Yeah, I know: Consider the source. Still...

Update, 11:43 p.m.: Now Fox News is running the story -- or at least linking to the National Enquirer's website. Just spoke on the phone with a colleague who knows Wilson, and says he can't believe Wilson is the type of guy who would want to kill himself. Again, I am hoping for the best. But, really, who knows what color of darkness someone else sees when they shut their eyes at night?

Update, 1:14 a.m.: Variety.com is running with the story now, as are other outlets. At the risk of sounding brutally unfeeling, I can't help wondering how all this will affect critical and audience reaction to The Darjeeling Limited, which is slated for a late September opening in New York.

Update, 8:53 a.m.: Strangely enough: While the Drudge Report site continues to prominently feature the Owen Wilson story, the much bigger story of the day -- Alberto Gonzalez's resignation -- has yet to be posted as of 8:53 am CDT. Read into that what you will.