Review of Married Life (2008) by C.r. L — 08 May 2010

Have you ever lied to someone you loved? Have you ever told them something about yourself wasn't true? Have you ever told them that you were working late when in reality you were not? Ira Sachs black comedy about marital woes and deception set against the backdrop of 1940's society is a bleak, smart and audaciously witty dramedy that leaves little to the imagination as it leads you down the road of murder most foul and deception most devious that plays better than it should and works better than you would ever expect. It is a story that an older generation can relate too as a younger one will overlook the film as dull and uninteresting. Let me tell you as a younger generation I completely sympathized and liked the characters even if they were all lying to each other it is fun to watch them skirt around the truth as they plot and scheme against one another in this twisted tale of love gone badly.

Ira Sachs' "Married Life" is just as the title suggest it is about married life and the trials and tribulations that a married couple go through everyday the ups and downs Ira Sachs' blunt dramedy doesn't let you off the hook easy when it comes to theses themes but you won't shy away if that's what you think. It is very easy on the eyes, but as I said before most of the elder generation may find this film hard to watch as someone in their life has been cheated on or they themselves been cheated. it's a touchy subject believe me, but here that is not the case it's more about how love can easily fall apart as easily as it can be built, how the choices we make can affect the ones we love and how sometimes when we least expect it you fall in love with the last person you would expect. Ira Sachs shows us suburban life in the 40's that we seldom see today his film is a homage to the dark screwball comedies of the golden era and also a tribute to film noir with its stark lighting, it's wickedly sharp narrative and dialogue and gloomy undertones that give it that old time feel. What makes a film special is heart if a film has no heart it has no soul if a film has no soul it has no character and if a film has no character than what is it? I'll tell you nothing more than people walking around talking lines that should mean something and should leave a lasting effect, while "Married Life" doesn't leave a lasting impression on audiences it gives them a zany and quirky look into the love lives of four very normal yet strange individuals.

I liked the atmosphere, I liked the style of the film how it worked but what I liked most of all was the narration by Pierce Brosnan it wasn't just about him but also about Harry(Chris Cooper) and his wife Pat(Patricia Clarkson). The narration doe not leave you out in the cold or leave you without answers to your questions and that to me is a major accomplishment of this film and one of the key highlights of the story and plot. What I did not like, and to me what almost undid all of this films accomplishment was the uneven pace if a little more even it would have been a great movie instead of good.

I am a massive, massive fan of Chris Cooper to me he is one of cinemas most versatile and underrated actors of the 21st century he is amazing in everything he does. He is one of the few actors I am proud to say can never gives a bad performance and here he displays one of his good not great performances as a husband trying to spare his wife the embarrassment of divorce. Cooper is all emotions on this one he does not rely on pure ferocity and cunning as he does in most of his performances here it is all emotions and brains that drive Cooper's determined character Harry Allen. Cooper is a perfect fit for this odd and quirky type of role that may not seem like a perfect fit but truth be told he is he slips perfectly into the role that you do not even think of him as Chris Cooper the actor but as Harry Allen the distressed husband. Cooper is one of the main reasons to see this film. Pierce Brosnan was and still is a childhood favorite of mine he was the hero from some of m favorite James Bond movies and from one of my favorite T.V. shows "Remington Steele", here as Richard Langley the best friend to Chris Cooper's character Harry Allen he is a near-perfect fit. Brosnan is all charm and sophistication as usual as player Richard Langley who ends up finding love in an unusual way, what I liked most about Brosnan's performance is the way he plays Langley with such style and grace. He gives his character a tenacious never give up attitude when it comes to women and that too me adds a little more charm and also a little darker side to the character as the women he pursues could end up destroying his life and yet he still pursues her. Brosnan is no one trick pony in this film and he seems to have everything figured out, or so you think. Rachel McAdams is fantastic as the women every man wants her beautiful face and platinum blond hair give her the look of Jean Harlow one of Hollywood's prominent hopefuls taken before her time. McAdams may not have allotted screen time and may only serve as a side character in the story of Harry Allen she is the main reason the story works. If it was some other actress it wouldn't have been as convincing you need someone of McAdams skill to play a character like Kay, "dear sweet Kay" as Pierce Brosnan's narration describes her and that is how I describe McAdams dear and oh so sweet. I am not a big fan of Patricia Clarkson in fact I don't really like her at all she(to me at least) doesn't seem like great actress material or good actress material for that matter. Here she gives a performance that I will go out on a limb and say is exceptional Clarkson gives it all she has to play a sex loving wife who seems to care more about her husband then herself(which in my book is suspicious). Clarkson is great, does a fine job of holding her own against Brosnan, Cooper and McAdams, and comes out as one of the lesser acts in this film but still worthy of being called good.

Ira Sachs' "Married Life? may not impress all but it does impress with it's wit and charm and intelligent, well written dialogue that flows like water down a riverbed it just works. What also works about this film are the actors, the actors play off each other and the film's story beautifully making "Married Life" one of the more charming films you can seen in your spare time grant it this film was severely overlooked and immensely underrated when it was released back in 2008. While summer blockbusters like "Iron Man,? "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the crystal Skull" and "The Dark Knight? were dominating the box-office this film quietly made its run in limited release where few heard of it and seldom saw. I liked this film more than I thought I would and from what I saw I thought it would be better than what it was but for what it was it was fantastic and I am proud to say I very much enjoyed it.