Friday, September 5, 2008

Married Life


I didn't know about Married Life when it had its theatrical release. When the new releases came through a week or so ago via Netflix, (Hot tip: check out this link on Sunday mornings to see what is becoming available on Tuesdays) I saw a brief description about Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, Pierce Brosnan and the late forties. That seemed good enough for me to take a chance.

It is nice when those kinds of chances pay off. Ira Sach's film has a tone similar to Woody Allen (I found parallels in its approach to the recent Vicky Christina Barcelona) but it is essentially a kind of gene splice between a classic film noir and a New Yorker style short story about suburbia. Harry Allen (Cooper) is in his mid to late fifties, in love with war widow (Kay Nesbitt), and adrift from his own marriage with his wife Pat played by Clarkson. He decides that killing Pat is the best route to secure happiness for himself and to spare her the pain of divorce. What he doesn't take into account are the private lives of those around him including his pal Richard Langley, played by Brosnan.

It is a breath of fresh air to find a film that deals with adult relationships in a serious and filmic way. Mike Nichols' Closer and the recent expatriate Woody Allen era films come to mind in comparison. Chris Cooper is wonderful. It is great to see him in a role where he is neither government baddie or eccentric. One would not likely classify him readily as a physical actor, but there are some scenes here where nothing was said verbally, but his shoulders and spine carried an huge amount of emotion and expression.

The setting of 1949 also fairs well for this film. It helps that Brosnan and Cooper both look good in big shouldered suits and fine brimmed hats driving cars with big sterring wheels. There is a muted feel to the photography without having that kind of cloying nostalgic kind of lighting feel and the sets seem quite authentic.

Married Life is a story of the hearts that cross and interelate between people who have already done some living that is spiced with melodrama, but nevertheless has a kind of substance that moves beyond that genre. It is tight 90 minute feature that doesn't waste time or is filled with unsubstantial details. If you see it, be sure to watch the alternate endings on the DVD. It is my feeling that if these were used, the overall impact of the film would have been far more melodramatic.
posted by well-executed buffet at 1:36 AM
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