Initially I went to see the family comedy “Marley & Me” for a rather unusual reason. My physical therapist’s Florida home was featured in the movie. (Hey, where I’m from, that’s almost front page news.) I hadn’t read the book and I own three cats, so a story about an unruly golden retriever and his owners, as they navigate life’s milestones, wasn’t my first choice for a holiday film.

I went to the movie on Christmas evening and I took my mother who has had a rough year, to say the least. As I looked around me, I noticed how many others my age had brought young and old friends and family members with them to watch the movie. I heard murmurs, laughters, and emotional sniffles in the crowd, The murmurs and laughters were about the times their own pets did something just as crazy while the sniffles were about the similar moments of joy and sadness families had shared together.

This movie, as predictable and average as it was, is still more of a “family-friendly” movie than any other animated movie with a mouse or even a comedy with a talking dog.  “Family-friendly” isn’t just about movies you can take little kids to, but about movies that different generations can watch together without anyone sighing and complaining.

Sure, you could put any two attractive actors into this story and you wouldn’t know the difference between them and co-stars Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston. Yet, in a time when spirits are low even at the holidays, I still found “Marley & Me” an interesting movie experience.

I highly recommend you tell someone you love to go see the film. You can both reminisce this holiday season about the good and bad that you have weathered together.  “Marley & Me” certainly isn’t making my top 10 list–or any other critic’s top 10 list–for the year, but it certainly has its place.