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Beer for My Horses Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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Married Life
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MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some thematic elements and a scene of sexuality
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, Patricia Clarkson, and Rachel McAdams
A wry blend of dark humor, romantic deception, and stylish melodrama--with an invigorating dash of suspense--Married Life is an unconventional fable for grown-ups about the irresistible power and utter madness of love. After decades of marital contentment, Harry concludes that he must kill his wife Pat because he loves her too much to let her suffer when he leaves her. Harry has fallen hard for the young and lovely Kay, but his best friend Richard wants to win Kay for himself. As Harry implements his maladroit plans for murdering his wife, the other characters are entangled with their own deceptions. Like Harry, they race toward their passions but trip over their scruples, seemingly well-intended toward all, but truthful to none. Married Life is an uncommonly adult film that surprises and confounds expectations. Although it plays with mystery, comedy, and intrigue, its ultimate concern is: "What is married life?" In its sly way, Married Life poses perceptive questions about the seasonal discontents and unforeseen joys of all long-term relationships. (Sony Pictures Classics)
| GENRE(S): | Crime | Drama | Romance |
| WRITTEN BY: |
Oren Moverman
Ira Sachs |
| DIRECTED BY: | Ira Sachs |
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: September 2, 2008 Theatrical: March 7, 2008 |
| RUNNING TIME: | 90 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: | USA |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The average user rating for this movie is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Jay H. gave it a7:
Terrific cast, especially Chris Cooper and Patricia Clarkson. Compelling story, well directed. Good costumer and art direction, great score. Very interesting plot that held my interest throughout.
Stephen S. gave it a6:
If you reckon your partner’s been cheating, jolt them with this one. Ira Sachs’ debut neither aims for nor achieves greatness, but entertains well with its pleasing production design and measured but not unexpected plot turnings. Contrary to expectations, I thought Brosnan and McAdams were better served by their roles than Cooper and Clarkson. Cooper looks less well suited then he was in Breach, Clarkson doesn’t quite flow into the character as you would expect her to.
Johnny C. gave it a10:
Like most great films, this is a complex piece that often takes time and consideration -- and a second viewing -- Ira Sachs is an amazing filmmaker... the cinematic artist of this generation.
Chad S. gave it a6:
Call Kay(Rachel McAdams) the accidental femme-fatale. With that head of tightly-wounded platinum blonde hair, no matter how discreetly she enters the restaurant, in which two men sit; one married, one not, Kay can't help but cause a commotion. But Kay is depressed. Despite having the appearance of a sexually voracious woman who would drive an ice pick through a man's neck, she's actually a nice girl. She's looking for love, not money, which makes "Married Life" an atypical film noir. For starters, Harry(Chris Cooper) has a legitimate claim on his wife's life without ever knowing it. He almost commits a crime of incubating passion. What is going through Harry's mind when he looks outside the window of his bedroom? This is when the narrative in "Married Life" takes a wrong turn. It doesn't capitalize on the irony of the moment. Another matter to keep in mind is how the narrator(Pierce Brosnan) influences our feelings about Harry. Everything that could possibly go wrong for the protagonist, goes wrong, but "Married Life" breaks this most basic of tenets in film noir, when it confuses Richard's biased opinion about Harry(Richard justifies his friend's murderous intentions) with the cold, hard fact that he wanted his wife dead. Richard is a fallible narrator. Since he put a knife in his best friend's heart, he doesn't want to assasinate his character, too. The narration conspires with the narrator to make Pat look like the bad person. That's why "Married Life" goes out with a whimper, instead of a bang.
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