Review of If I Were You (2012) by Walter M — 09 Mar 2015

"If I Were You" starts with Madelyn(Marcia Gay Harden) wanting to surprise her husband Paul(Joseph Kell) with his favorite pastry. But then it is Madelyn who is surprised by Paul having an affair with the younger Lucy(Leonor Watling). She then follows Lucy after the lovers have an argument. Madelyn even goes so far as to stop Lucy's suicide attempt, followed by the women striking a unique deal.

For a comedy that is centered around an off-off-off Broadway production of King Lear, it is no surprise that "If I Were You" is as uneven as it is. While Leonor Watling hits the right farcical notes, Marcia Gay Harden does seem lost at times. But not in one scene she shares with Aidan Quinn set at a nursing home, that while it does seem like it comes from another movie entirely is also the highlight of this one. And Quinn's stabilizing presence does even things out effectively enough to make this movie at least somewhat likable.