I don't really see the point this movie was trying to make

Okay, I like dogs. I feel sad when I see dogs die in films. I cried like a little girl when I watched a Japanese film "Quill". But, honestly, I don't really see what "Marley & ME" wanted to tell.

I mean, Marley didn't really do anything in this story. Okay, he's a part of this family since the beginning until things settled for them, but that's about it.

Marley didn't change John or Jenny in anyway, make them realize anything, or influence them in any important decision of their life. The dog just... be there. John wrote a column around the activities of him and Marley, but the director didn't even emphasize that part enough to make it seems crucial to the story, considering the name of the movie "Marley & Me".

I understand that, normally, that's all dogs do as a part of most families. They just be there and when they die, everybody's sad. But shouldn't the movie tell anything more interesting than that?

I don't hate this movie, I don't love it either. It's just 2 hours of a plain family life without any real ordeal during a dog's lifetime. That's all.