Style: Romantic Drama
Director: James Grey
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas
Working Time: 110 minutes
Synopsis: In Brooklyn, Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is bi-polar, suicidal, and dwelling together with his mother and father Ruth and Reuben (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Moshonov). They organize for him to satisfy Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of Reuben’s enterprise companion. She is prepared to attempt a relationship, however Leonard is distracted by Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), the extra glamorous upstairs neighbour. Michelle is a troubled social gathering lady and having an affair with a married lawyer (Elias Koteas), however Leonard however grows more and more connected to her.
What Works Properly: It is a refreshingly natural romance that includes imperfect individuals flailing inside messy lives. Leonard has didn’t launch and is near imploding, director and co-writer James Grey introducing his protagonist with a jump-off-a-low-bridge half-hearted suicide try. Sandra could also be a saviour however Michelle is compelling, her maelstrom of golf equipment, ecstasy, and infidelity shrouding her capability to pursue any rational future. Bypassing romantic film cliches, the drama seeks next-best choices when ideally suited resolutions are far out of attain.
What Does Not Work As Properly: The dedication to stripped feelings exposes gaps in realism, judgement, and prevented conversations. After the introduction, Leonard’s psychological well being is relegated to an afterthought, and the script conveniently ignores the long run prospects of a relationship with the equally fragile Michelle. The steady Sandra is conscious of what she could also be getting herself into, suggesting a misdirected mothering intuition relatively than true ardour. The ultimate act reaches for a superficially passable ending driving on a brittle basis.
Key Quote:
Sandra (to Leonard): I wanna care for you. I really feel like I perceive you.
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