Review of We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004) by Travis H — 03 Jan 2005

In my opinion, there's nothing worse than going through a bad relationship.

If you have any doubts about that, see [u]We Don't Live Here Anymore[/u]. It's about two couples, one played by Laura Dern and Mark Ruffalo, and the other played by Naomi Watts and Peter Krause, and how they disintegrate into infidelity to deal with their loveless marriages. How I wish [u]He's Just Not That Into You[/u] had been written long ago. Dern's character genuinely loves her husband and children, but we're not so sure about him, and Watts's character genuinely fucks Ruffalo's character. What that means or says about love is played out over the film's running time, and it's fascinating to watch. This is a great looking film, simple and straight-forward, as is its theme, when you get right down to it. The problem is, as in real life, the situation itself is complicated to have to live through, and the talented cast do a wonderful job playing that out. All of the acting is natural and realistic, and we're able to form realistic opinions of these characters and their dilemma. Do they do the right thing? Should it have happened this way?Subjective, but it's nice to see a film that doesn't shy away from all of it: the sex, the children, the practical concerns that make a situation like this so volatile - it's all there, and all shown to us in a realistic way.

[u]We Don't Live Here Anymore[/u] doesn't break any new ground in filmmaking or relationships, but maybe it doesn't have to. We as humans still haven't figured out the familiar when it comes to matters of the heart.