Review of Blue Valentine (2010) by Steviegjd — 18 Jan 2011

This is a very good movie, albeit imperfect. The acting performances by Williams and Gosling are near perfect, with Williams having the more dynamic character. This is basically two dysfunctional people falling in love and growing apart: Williams' character grows up and wants and deserves more than Gosling's character is able to give.

While is is neither Bergman nor Bertolucci, it is interesting and real. People like this exist and make bad decisions every day. It is very interesting, at the very least, to see the devolution of a relationship that did not even begin under the best circumstances.

The narrative structure of the film is disjointed, probably intentionally, which detracts from the emotional impact of some of the scenes. There was a great deal made about the sex in this movie. Really? Why? It's not particularly graphic.

Two of the scenes (aggressive jerk old bf and husband wanting a new baby) were critical to the movie's plot. On some level, all they shared was sexual compatibility, at least early on. That's part of what this film is about.

The MPAA is nuts, as are people who "hate" this movie.