Married Life (2008)
Director: Ira Sachs
Writer: Ira Sachs, Oren Moverman
Starring: Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, Rachel McAdams
Language: English
Runtime: 90 Minutes approx.
Age Rating: 15
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Reviewed by Ross Miller
A film with Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper, and Patricia Clarkson starring in it is very hard to resist. It’s not the greatest of films, in fact it’s not even all that good, but it’s adequate enough to warrant the time it takes to watch it.
Married Life takes place in the late 1940s and centres around Chris Cooper’s Harry Allen, a man who hatches a plan to murder his wife in order to spare her the humiliation of a divorce and being on her own. Little does he know there’s more to it all than meets his eye as he’s not the only one with a hidden agenda.
The thing that strikes you first about Married Life is the time period it’s set in and how the film captures it. The first 15 minutes of it seems to concentrate on just that, with what seems like a showcase of all the outfits, hairdos, and locations that were around almost 60 years ago. It’s a shame that the film seems to forget about showing off the production design as it’s one of the better aspects of the movie when everything’s said and done.
The film starts off in a mediocre fashion with characters who aren’t particularly interesting on their own. But as the film goes on, and events start to unfold, the clashing of the characters makes them more and more interesting. Cooper in particular, who in my book can do absolutely no wrong, is in fine form here. He is one of those guys who exudes intelligence and yet looks tough at the same time. He’s the main player here, which I found surprising because he’s usually a supporting character, and the always likable Pierce Brosnan and the lovable Patricia Clarkson support him. Brosnan is, as ever, charismatic and charming, and a role like this, set in a period where men like him were more common, is just perfect for him. Clarkson plays the wife character very well, a role very suited to her, and the younger Rachel McAdams stars in a supporting role where she’s never looked more beautiful. If nothing else, the film is worth a glance for the cast alone.
I think Married Life’s biggest problem is that it wants to be two different kinds of movies in one and the combination, which can be successful in the right hands, just doesn’t work. It starts of as a dry humoured, dark comedy of sorts with quick-witted dialogue and a general sense of not taking itself too seriously. But as the film progresses it morphs into a very serious drama, at least for much of the latter half anyway; this totally goes against what the earlier part of the film was aiming to be. I definitely felt that it worked better as the more comedic film rather than the more serious one.
The film’s other major problem comes in the form of its plot points and the overall storyline – it all seems a bit unnecessarily far-fetched and not quite believable. Perhaps I could have run with this mentality if it had stayed on the more comedic side of things but since it turns the serious meter way up by the second half, the overall storyline just doesn’t seem believable. And as a result, although admirable, its messages about marriage, love, and life don’t really ring true.
I don’t know whether or not it’s the accurate capturing of the time period but the film has a certain air of sophistication and class about it. It may also be down to the ideals of the time period, the cast involved, and the cinematography – all of these elements are positive aspects to an otherwise above average flick.
There are certain films that you can just tell are based on novels. I don’t know whether it’s the story or how it’s told but there’s just something about them, and Married Life is an example, that you can just tell it was a book before it was a film. Married Life isn’t exactly required viewing but it’s enjoyable enough and it has some fine actors so I say catch it on DVD if you have a couple of hours to spare.
