Review of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) by Macgyver S — 13 Mar 2010
A fully engaging, thoughtful, character-driven tale of one woman's tumultuous life. The acting by Robin Wright Penn, as the grown-up Pippa, and Keanu Reeves, as the neighbor, Chris Nadeau, along with the rest of the cast, were exceptional.
Blake Lively played the younger Pippa and brought a sweetness, and ethereal quality to the role. Zoe Kazan was not on screen for long, but she made her presence felt as Pippa's troubled daughter making her way as a photojournalist.
Maria Bello nailed the bi-polar Suki Sarkasian, Pippa's mom, whose illness was accentuated by her abuse of drugs. The story investigates the generational divide in a way that was raw and very real.
The relationship between Pippa and her mother, and then between Pippa and her daughter, exposed emotions in all four of the actresses that resonated with authenticity. The real surprise here was Reeves.
Gone, was the slacker that he seems to have played ad infinitum. He brought complexity and a real rough edge to his role that indicates that just maybe he has grown up. This was a slice of reality. No sugar coating.
No bland platitudes. Just raw, genuine pain and messy lives exposed to the world.
This review of The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) was written by Macgyver S on 13 Mar 2010.
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee has generally received mixed reviews.
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