Review of Husbands and Wives (1992) by Eric F — 22 Jul 2008

While I was watching this film, a few things about it really started to grate on me. I'm new to Allen's work, and i'm not yet accustomed to his "world", if you will. I find it fairly offensive and one-dimensional that all of his characters are driven by nothing but sexual impulses, and the generalizations of an average couple in this film are very typical and offputting. While a lot of these themes about couples do ring true, I don't think it's fair to set your movie in a world that's so extreme on one side that anything slightly different is immediately obscure and foreign within it's own setting. I haven't read a lot of other opinions on Allen's work, but i'm sure i'm not the only one who feels these exact same things.

Then, about an hour in the film, the script completely addressed my complaints. It was one of the most surreal movie moments i've ever experienced. There's a scene where Juliette Lewis' character is dissecting a novel that Allen wrote - talking about everything i've mentioned. Saying that everything in his novel is completely exaggerated and unfulfilling. Allen then tells her it's supposed to be exaggerated - he's simply making a point about couples. It's not necessarily supposed to be completely true or autobiographical. Suddenly, I couldn't be upset about the film's direction anymore. While it was a bit excessive and it's characters were far too reliant on relationships to the point where it seemed like they had no life outside of sex, it's a film that's completely self aware. And addressing it was not only extremely mature, but in a way - hilarious.

"Husbands and Wives" centers around two long-married couples. At the beginning of the film, news breaks that one of the couples is going to get divorced. Suddenly, both couples realize the vulnerability of marriage - and the fact that even the most mature and adult relationships are completely imperfect.

This film is meant to look like a documentary, and that's made very clear just moments into the film. In the scene I just mentioned, the camera swoops in and out frantically. It's "Cloverfield" minus the big monster and 20-something models. If the handheld camera style of filming isn't enough, we get a narrator addressing the characters as if it was a documentary on the Discovery channel, and there's even "confessional" shots straight out of "The Office". At first the talking head scenes didn't exactly work for me as I felt it was rather silly and almost cheap in a way - as if it was simply a shortcut to allow the characters to just SAY what they're feeling at all times. However, it certainly proves effective in the end. While the scenes are reminiscent of "Taxi Cab Confessions", we feel more like a psychiatrist as we watch the characters become more self aware and come to crucial realizations.

To me, the more interesting relationship was between Jack (Sydney Pollack) and Sally (Judy Davis). I don't feel like Judy got enough screentime, and Gabe's character was familiar already... but, Jack and Sally's relationship had an extremely interesting dynamic. I guess you can credit that completely to two wonderful performances. Sydney Pollack stated that he didn't "like" his character in the film, which I found kind of odd. He certainly wasn't a wonderful guy, but his portrayal was honest. Also, Judy Davis is equally wonderful in her role as Sally. That being said, I do feel she was a bit too snobby to find compassionate.

The film's "young" characters, Michael (Liam Neeson), Rain (Juliette Lewis), and Sam (Lysette Anthony) all also work exceptionally well. Just about every scene with Rain and Gabe is charming and romantic (although strikingly too familiar to Allen's personal life), and although Sam was as cliche of a character as you could possibly have, I thought her character and "transformation" (more like unveiling) was powerful. The scene with Jack and Sam outside of the party was extremely memorable.

This is a film that at times feels like it has a bit too much to say, but that's certainly better than not having enough to say at all. It's a very cleverly written character study with wonderful performances all around. While it's situations are certainly not new, it's execution is just about as good as it gets.