Review of Husbands and Wives (1992) by Ryan C — 28 Jul 2013

"Husbands and Wives" is an often over-looked Woody Allen movie. And that's a shame. Sure, it deals with the typical Woody-isms: unhappy marriages, infidelities, longings to be with someone else, and intelligent characters who seem to thrive on self-inflicted drama. But it's one of Allen's best movies.

Perhaps "Husbands and Wives" gets forgotten because it was the first movie Allen released while he was subjected to ridicule for marrying Mia Farrow's adopted daughter. (Reread that, please. Most people think that Woody Allen married Mia Farrow's ACTUAL daughter. Some people even think that Woody Allen and Mia Farrow adopted Soon-Yi together. That doesn't make it anymore right or wrong, but I digress.) As funny as it sounds, I think the intense, real-life stress everyone was feeling at the time fueled these performances. Especially Mia Farrow - this is one of my favorite performances Farrow gives in any Woody Allen movie. And that's saying a lot. No doubt her true pain bleeds through. Unfortunately, this is her last pairing with Woody.

The film begins with sad news. Sally and Jack (played by Judy Davis and Sydney Pollack) have revealed to their best friends, Gabe and Judy (played by Woody and Mia), that they are getting divorced. This news is shocking to Gabe and Judy, and they can't believe it. Sally and Jack have always been so happy - they seemed to have had the perfect marriage. This is one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. Note the camera movement. It's shaky. It's uneven. It makes you feel disoriented. The opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the film. This is a movie about marriage, and it documents just how unpredictable and incredibly hard it is to have a successful marriage.

How brilliant, then, to present the film in a mockumentary style. Expose might be the better word here. Regardless. We become the camera. And Allen makes it known that we are now the voyeurs.

Most times Allen keeps the camera on one character and ignores all of the other action taking place in the scene. This is a brave move, and it works wonderfully. What we get is an incredibly up-close and personal connection with the character. You can't hide your emotions when there's a camera placed directly in front of your face.

Allen also edits the movie as shaky as he shoots it. Sometimes characters are cut-off mid-sentence (a technique he'd later adopt for "Deconstructing Harry" as well), and this might suggest that maybe these characters are never quite sure of themselves. Maybe they don't know exactly what they want in life or their relationships.

"Husbands and Wives," in my opinion, expands upon what Allen says towards the end of "Annie Hall." When Allen and Diane Keaton are flying back to New York from their visit to Los Angeles, Allen says that a relationship is like a shark - it has to keep moving (both people have to grow together?) in order for the relationship to stay alive. And if one person moves forward and the other doesn't, then you're left with a dead shark. When this happens, a break-up is inevitable. This is exactly what is presented in "Husbands and Wives.".

To have said all of this and not comment much on the acting should indicate how fantastic this movie really is. And each actor gives an absolute visceral performance. I won't say much about the acting because I think it's something you need to experience for yourself. But I will comment on Juliet Lewis' performance and say that her character drew me in (much like she drew Woody Allen's Gabe in as well). I couldn't help but imagine Jennifer Lawrence in the role had this movie been made today.

On the surface, "Husbands and Wives" appears to be arguing against the idea of marriage. But I think it actually does the opposite. It takes two to have a successful marriage, and that's evident here. It takes two to keep that shark alive. What Allen does here is show how hard it is to be married - can you weather the storm? And survive each crisis? Together is the key, though. As Sydney Pollack's character says: Sometimes you can be a lot more alone when you're with somebody. If you can't weather that storm together, then it'll devour you and you'll be left completely alone. Sometimes you realize that and you can save your marriage. Other times it's too late.