Movie Notes: Husbands And Wives

July 5th, 2009

= 4 stars

Starring Sydney Pollack, Judy Davis, Juliette Lewis
Directed by Woody Allen

Synopsis

Professor Gabe Roth (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow) are surprised to learn that Sally (Judy Davis) and Jack (Sydney Pollack) are splitting up. Gabe and Judy examine their own marriage, as Gabe flirts with Rain, a much younger student (Juliette Lewis) and Judy falls for a co-worker, Michael (Liam Neeson).

The Good

• Allen employs the shaky-camera, documentary style, used previously in Take The Money and Run and Zelig to great effect. The documentary explores the reasons why a marriage succeeds or fails.
• Pollack and Davis are brilliant as the conflicted older couple Jack and Sally, and it’s neat to see how over the course of the movie, they seem different yet well suited for each other. Dark humor prevails when both re-enter the dating scene: Jack’s hooks up with an astrology-nut aerobics instructor, and Sally mentions her metabolic difficulties when manly Michael initially puts the moves on her, while later contemplating hedgehogs and foxes.
• The rough, heavy subject matter of infidelity, sexual problems, and people drifting apart, but thankfully, really have at it with visceral arguments instead repression and wallowing in their misery (Interiors, September), making for an uncomfortable but more visually alive movie. One argument between Jack and his new astrology-fascinated aerobics instructor girlfriend (Lysette Anthony) is blisteringly cathartic, distasteful, and grimly funny all at once.
• Real life intersects reel life: At the time of filming, Allen was on the outs with then wife Mia Farrow, and certain scenes of their characters bickering were filmed as the real life couple fell apart. One can only wonder if the Farrow character’s eventual evaluation as a passive-aggressive, manipulative woman is a condemnation of Farrow herself. One also can’t avoid seeing suggestions of Allen’s relationship with the much younger Soon Yi Previn (his stepdaughter) in the ill-advised relationship between Gabe and younger student Rain. There’s an intimate moment where they kiss at a party during a blackout, indicating an absence of the watchful eyes of God. Here, Allen the director knows what Gabe is doing is wrong, but his heart tells him otherwise.

The Bad

• I didn’t care for Julliete Lewis as Rain, the much younger student of Gabe’s. Based on her portrayal, it’s difficult to see what Gabe sees in her, other than a lack of better options, and her age.

Conclusion

Despite the awkward and disappointing Lewis, Husbands And Wives contains great performances on the part of Pollack and Davis, who make the film worth watching. Also mesmerizing is the inevitable overlay of Allen’s personal life. With its documentary style, it feels self-conscious, in that certain scenes seem intended to answer questions about his own infidelities. Yet despite Allen’s attempt to be as open as possible, he tells about 75% of the story but leaves the last bit out, not really answering the question, and literally saying, “can I go now?”. It’s simultaneously frustrating yet engrossing, which in my eyes, makes for a great movie.

IMDB: Husbands And Wives
Wikipedia: Husbands And Wives
Rotten Tomatoes: Husbands And Wives 100%