What a disappointment.
The people involved in this have exceedingly fine reputations, and for good reason. The three leads, Patricia Clarkson, Campbell Scott and Peter Sarsgaard, are some of the best and most interesting actors working today. The script is by Craig Lucas who wrote arguably the best of the AIDS movies (Longtime Companion) as well as the excellent The Secret Lives of Dentists, and this is Lucas's directorial film debut too. And, as one would expect given the talent, it starts out very, very well. And given the subject matter - betrayal, lies, cruelty - there's lots to work with and hold your interest. Lucas does an excellent job moving the film along, the pacing and shot selection are great, though I suppose some might find the music a touch heavy-handed and the colors a bit too bold.
Anyway, an hour into this I was liking it, and liking it a lot. Basically, it's about a Hollywood exec having an affair with a gay screenwriter who's rewriting a script for the exec (to make a gay love story a straight love story), the exec's wife finds out (in a chatroom the writer had mentioned) and ... events unfold. All the principals do a great job, the film really pulls you into itself, it's beautifully shot ... and then, near the end, the plot takes a turn that I for one just don't buy. At all.
So do I recomment this or not? I guess not, which is sort of a shame because it starts exceptionally well. Or maybe I do recommend it - but just be aware that the ending isn't likely to make you happy with the film.
Posted by armand at April 12, 2006 11:25 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Movies