Review: "Love is Strange"

Director: Ira Sachs
Runtime: 94 minutes

These days, it's so rare for character actors like Alfred Molina and John Lithgow to get truly rewarding roles, let alone lead roles. That alone makes Ira Sachs' Love is Strange worth seeing, even though the writer/director's latest is a bit on the scatterbrained side. Sweet without being saccharine, this unfussy look at love under late-in-life stress is mostly a success thanks to Molina and Lithgow's lovely performances. 

Molina's George and Lithgow's Ben have been together for decades, though they've only just become married. In the opening scene, Sachs and his two leads beautifully capture a lived-in union that is still filled with love. The two get ready for their long-overdue wedding day while smiling through each other's little quirks. Yet not long after everything seems like it's been wrapped up with a bow does everything start to come undone. George loses his job at a private Catholic school once word of his marriage reaches the Archdiocese, which puts him and Ben in a difficult financial position. 

Eventually, the two are forced to live apart. George takes up residence on the couch of another, much younger, gay couple, while Ben moves in with his nephew Elliot (Darren Burrows), his wife Kate (Marisa Tomei), and their son Joey (Charlie Tahan). Though their friends and family do the best to accommodate them, it doesn't take long before different lifestyles start to clash, in ways both funny and serious. 

Yet after such a wonderful introduction to his main characters, it's frustrating how Sachs handles the early stages of their separation. The basic tensions that are established make sense, yet the movement of the plot tends to be a bit jumbled. At times, Love is Strange almost forgets that it's about George and Ben as it tries to work in the lives of Elliot, Kate, and Joey. Burrows is often flat as Elliot, while the usually effortless Tomei is stuck in a role that never feels consistent or coherent. And even though young Mr. Tahan's final scenes are quite nice, for most of the film he's left to play the same bratty teenager notes over and over. 

The more Sachs tries to expand his vision to include more characters, the more the heart of Love is Strange starts to slip out of his grasp. This is only made worse by the often head-scratching use of various shots of Manhattan, which come off as either padding or a lazy way of trying to open the film up to some broader idea.

Where Love is Strange works best is when it gets down to dealing with George and Ben's independent lives. The less the film is concerned with their interactions with friends and family, the better the film is as a whole. Tellingly, the film's strongest scene involves a letter George writes to the parents of his former students, an angle that is sorely under-explored. 

Molina and Lithgow play off of each other so beautifully, and it's a shame to see them caught up in various subplots that get in the way of really delving deeper into their characters. The handful of scenes at the end show what Love is Strange could have been had its priorities been sharper. Instead, Molina and Lithgow spend too much time fighting for attention in a film that's supposed to be their stories. The two actors are good enough to shine through all of the clutter, but Sachs' film seems more determined to hinder rather than help. Love, as presented here, isn't strange at all. What's strange is Sachs' all-over-the-place narrative focus on what should be a straightforward, tender exploration of one couple's affection through dire setbacks. 

Grade: B-

Review: "The Ides of March"

Ryan Gosling has, along with Bryce Dallas Howard and break-out star Jessica Chastain, had something of a banner year, first with Crazy, Stupid Love, and then Drive, one of my favorite films of the year thus far. An immensely talented actor (best of his generation?), 2011 was the year that Gosling finally embraced his leading man/star potential, and it's paid off quite well. His final offering for 2011, George Clooney's political drama The Ides of March previously tipped for Oscar consideration, seemed like a bang-up way to close out the year. But even though it's a solid entry on the actor's (and everyone involved) filmography, Ides is a curiously limited film, one that is intriguing enough through its run time, but perhaps not good enough to linger long in one's thoughts.

Adapted from Beau Willimon's play "Farragut North," (itself said to be loosely based on the '08 campaign of Howard Dean), Ides centers on Stephen Myers, an expert media strategist working for Democratic hopeful Mike Morris (Clooney) during the critical Ohio primary. Myers is seen as one of the best media minds in the country, and an invaluable asset to any campaign he works for. But as its Shakespearean title suggests, however, something is rotten in the state of Ohio. As Myers navigates the shark-infested waters of the campaign, he gets a crash course in dirty politics that leaves him a profoundly changed man.

Starting off on a weak note, The Ides of March does improve from its somewhat tepid opening sequences. The characters and their relationships aren't as engaging, charming, or witty as the film would like us to believe, and it makes the introductory act the least cinematically pleasing of the lot. When the story finally hits its central conflict, however, it's generally all up hill from there. Clooney may not have much of an eye for compelling images (hand this story off to Polanski, and you'll come back with an elegant, sleek cousin to The Ghost Writer), but he certainly tells the basic story well, even though he cuts a crucial scene short just so another character can explain it to another later. Some may not be too enthused by the film's politics (the left-leaning ideals are worn proudly on the film's sleeve), but at least they're contextualized in the form of press conferences, debates, and town hall meetings.

Unfortunately, as the film progresses and the story gets stronger, the characters get weaker. Despite its all star cast, The Ides of March doesn't necessarily use them well, nor does the screenplay give them much to work with. Gosling is reliable, as always, and has some strong moments in the final act, but in spots he seems to either coast, or verge into bug-eyed territory. He can at least be thankful, though, that his character has enough that's meaningful to do and say. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti, two of our greatest character actors, give solid turns in opposing supporting roles (Giamatti's being given a bit more to work with). Unfortunately, the script doesn't take their characters far enough. I'd heard beforehand that each of their characters had a "big moment" that could lead to a place in the upcoming awards season. Having seen the performances, I'm wondering what on earth those moments were, because neither actor makes a lasting impression. As far as women are concerned, Marisa Tomei is given a key role, but not an interesting character, though she certainly fairs better than poor Jennifer Ehle (can we please stop giving this woman thankless roles?). Surprisingly, the film's best performance comes from Evan Rachel Wood as a young intern on the Morris campaign, who mixes ambition and vulnerability to create the film's most sympathetic character. Clooney, in front of the camera, is absent from screen for surprisingly long portions, but in his one major scene he nails it, and the tension he and Gosling create is fantastic, albeit fleeting.

On the technical side, its a solid film, though there's nothing extraordinary about aspects like costumes or set design. Cinematography, by Phedon Papamichael, is merely adequte, barring the excellent final shot. The standout, a surprise in this sort of film, is Alexandre Desplat's score, a low-key blend of beats and strings that adds a subtle touch of intrigue and danger to the film's atmosphere. Unfortunately, the use (or misuse) of the characters comes back to bite the film. The feeling of betrayal is never made as compelling to the audience as it is to the characters, most of whom fall into one-note territory. The script also falls victim to two obvious pieces of foreshadowing, one which feels contrived, and one that feels like a last-minute attempt to show that the story has been brought full-circle. The Ides of March is like candidate Mike Morris in many ways; it has undeniable strengths that should make it a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, those strengths are undercut by flaws that diminish its impact. Is this an intelligent, adult-oriented film? Yes. Is it anything remarkable, or will it be remembered in the years to come? Probably not.

Grade: B-

Venice Review Round-Up: "The Ides of March"

It's the end of August, and along with the end of Summer, it means that it's time for the Venice Film Festival, one of the biggest and buzziest in the world. There are any number of potential contenders screening this year (in and out of competition), and the 68th festival, with a jury headed by Darren Aronofsky, kicked things off with its opening night selection, George Clooney's The Ides of March. Here's a look at some early word on the political thriller, which boasts a fantastic cast and is one of my most anticipated of the year (click the publication name to go to the full review):

Variety - Justin Chang (N/A): "...wallows in its own superiority to the point where its cynical pose almost looks naive." "...the terrific cast isn't always seen to its best advantage."

Emmanuel Levy (A-): "In time, this 1970s-like movie should assume an honorable place in the company of such great American political melodramas as 'The Candidate,' 'All the President's Men,' and others..."

Time Out London - Dave Calhoun (3/5 stars): "...taken as a diverting aside on our world and with its more awkward pretensions forgiven, it's captivating enough and well-performed by a strong cast, even down to the smaller ensemble roles."

The Hollywood Reporter - Deborah Young (N/A): "...the fine cast makes every line of dialogue count..." "Classy and professional throughout, the technical work gracefully holds all the threads together."

The Guardian - Xan Brooks (3/5 stars): "What remains is your classic compromise candidate: a film that set out with a crusading zeal but had its rough edges planed down en route to the nomination."

Venice Verdict: Though a well made and well acted political thriller, The Ides of March is not quite as insightful and sharp as it aspires to be.

[Short] Review: "Crazy, Stupid, Love"

There's plenty of love and craziness involved in Crazy, Stupid, Love, the latest from directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You, Phillip Morris). And, thankfully, there's also not much that's stupid, even though it awkwardly flirts with cliches in the last scene. Despite its plain set-up (ladies man helps divorced man get his mojo back), Crazy, Stupid, Love rises above the increasingly awful pack of romantic comedies hitting theaters by assembling a fantastic cast (led by Steve Carrell and Ryan Gosling). The script itself, while avoiding the obnoxious characters or plotting tedium so many other rom-coms, is not brilliant, or filled with non-stop laughs.

It is, however, filled with sincere charm, and enough funny moments thanks to the excellent ensemble (rounded out by Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon, and Marisa Tomei's perfectly timed laughs). Carrell finally gets to play a role that uses his likability, without resorting to any Michael Scott-isms, and Gosling exudes sexiness in spades, all while pulling off his character's snarky side with ease. The trio of women, each wildly different, all have their moments to shine as well, though it's a shame that Moore isn't given much to do comedy-wise aside from her excellent delivery on that Twlight joke. And even though it's a bit long for a romantic comedy, it doesn't feel nearly as drawn out as, say, a Judd Apatow comedy (*whew*). If it does need some trimming though, it's in a subplot involving Carrell and Moore's son (Jonah Bobo) and his crush on his babysitter (Analeigh Tipton). The adult relationships are handled so well, that inclusion of this plot thread feels like an extra. It's not that it isn't funny, it's just that it detracts from the stronger portions of the film, which are what make the movie such a pleasure to watch (including, but not limited to, Ryan Gosling's near-nudity in several scenes).

Grade: B/B-