Review of Take This Waltz (2011) by Heather H — 29 May 2013

This movie is frustrating, emotional, real and left me super anxious and a little sad (or a lot sad). It will linger in your brain for a while once you've finished it and it'll make you think. Seth Rogen plays Lou, a super sweet guy and cookbook writer, happily married for 5 years to Margot (Michelle Williams). Their life together is good, comfortable and filled with love although sometimes a bit predictable. It isn't until Margot is sent on location for a writing job that her life is turned up-side-down. It is on this trip that she meets Daniel and butterflies are instantaneous. The attraction is not only mutual but her increased fascination with him once she finds out he lives in her neighborhood causes her to question herself and her current happiness.

This movie could be anyone's story and that is what tears at the heartstrings while you watch it. It's a tough film to review. I feel as though multiple people could watch this film, each seeing it and understanding it slightly differently based on their own personal life experiences. It stays with you after you finish watching it and I think that is what makes a good movie. Sarah Silverman plays Seth Rogen's sister, a recovering alcoholic, and it's nice to see both of them play such different roles then we're used to seeing. They both did a great job. I felt very protective of Lou throughout the film, if that makes sense. Personally, I found myself frustrated with Margot for most of the film. I know that a lot of people would disagree with how I saw her but that's what I mean with the different ways you can relate to this story. Luke Kirby played Daniel and although I thought he did a really good job he came across, to me, like a bit of a jerk. My only wish is that there had been some more insight into the character's lives. It feels like you're watching a small window of time in Margot's life (the film is told from her perspective) with very little knowledge of how she got there. At times I felt like some scenes were a bit drawn out while others went by too quickly and there were a few awkward nudity moments that I didn't find entirely necessary.

There is a part of the movie that really stuck with me and I feel as though it summarizes the whole message of it in one short line. There is a moment where Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman are showering after a water aerobics class and their friend says something along the lines of, "Sometimes I just want something new, ya know? New things are shiny." and to that, an older woman in the showers replies, "New things get old." It's the truth too... everything is new at one point but new things get old too.