The opening scene looks like something out of a Woody Allen movie – a small dinner gathering of cultured upper middle class people in an upscale Connecticut home. That "Woody feeling" is further reinforced later in the film in a flashback of a romantic encounter between a successful middle-age (and ageing) intellectual and a pretty young thing. It's really more than a flashback, but more like parallel running of two different temporal strands of a story: 30-years ago and now. Herb and Pippa Lee in the "now" sequence are a well-established couple, pushing 80 and 50 respectively, he refusing to acknowledge that one day he is going to die and she dreading the approach of that day. In the "30-years-ago" sequence, he is on top of the world but getting fed up with his voluptuous but eccentric wife while she is a delinquent young woman completely lost in the world of drugs and empty existence.
The movie however is a lot more complex than outlined above, and has a lot more to offer. Pippa's recollection goes beyond her encounter with Herb, right back to her childhood where the substance abuse of her mother left a profound effect in her life. Surrounding her is a large ensemble of characters. Alan Arkin is just about the best man you can find for the co-lead portraying Herb at two different time slots: declining in his dying days and at his matured prime when first encountering Pippa (Sarkissian at the time). Mario Bello is delightful, going all the way in an animated portrayal of Pippa's junky mother Suky (playing mostly against Blake Lively's credible young Pippa). Another veteran obviously having fun is Julianne Moore, as the lesbian lover of Pippa's aunt who took her in when the teenager ran away from home. Reminding you of his role in "Something's got to give" (2003), Keanu Reeves plays 15-years-younger neighbour who develops a romantic relationship with Pippa that stops tantalizingly short of an affair. Winona Ryder might have had her part customized for her, a neurotic neighbour who does have an affair with Herb, thereby dealing Pippa her poetic justice for snatching Herb from his wife 30 years ago. And about said ex-wife, although it's almost a cameo appearance, you'll love seeing the always irresistibly gorgeous Monica Bellucci. Lesser known but with equally solid performance is Zoe Hazan (small roles in "Fracture", "In the valley of Elah", "Revolutionary Road") as Pippa and Herb's no-nonsense daughter Grace. At the centre is of course Robin Wright, playing Pippa with charm, grace, hysterics, sensuality, vulnerability, and a whole lot more.
The movie posts various situations but wisely does not attempt to provide all the answers. To attempt to do so would come across too heavy-handed. Pippa is introduced at the beginning as "an enigma". Although a lot of revelations have been made along the way, when we reach the end, we are still not sure what makes her tick. That's the way it should be, for an entertaining and thought-provoking (in a light way) movie.
The movie however is a lot more complex than outlined above, and has a lot more to offer. Pippa's recollection goes beyond her encounter with Herb, right back to her childhood where the substance abuse of her mother left a profound effect in her life. Surrounding her is a large ensemble of characters. Alan Arkin is just about the best man you can find for the co-lead portraying Herb at two different time slots: declining in his dying days and at his matured prime when first encountering Pippa (Sarkissian at the time). Mario Bello is delightful, going all the way in an animated portrayal of Pippa's junky mother Suky (playing mostly against Blake Lively's credible young Pippa). Another veteran obviously having fun is Julianne Moore, as the lesbian lover of Pippa's aunt who took her in when the teenager ran away from home. Reminding you of his role in "Something's got to give" (2003), Keanu Reeves plays 15-years-younger neighbour who develops a romantic relationship with Pippa that stops tantalizingly short of an affair. Winona Ryder might have had her part customized for her, a neurotic neighbour who does have an affair with Herb, thereby dealing Pippa her poetic justice for snatching Herb from his wife 30 years ago. And about said ex-wife, although it's almost a cameo appearance, you'll love seeing the always irresistibly gorgeous Monica Bellucci. Lesser known but with equally solid performance is Zoe Hazan (small roles in "Fracture", "In the valley of Elah", "Revolutionary Road") as Pippa and Herb's no-nonsense daughter Grace. At the centre is of course Robin Wright, playing Pippa with charm, grace, hysterics, sensuality, vulnerability, and a whole lot more.
The movie posts various situations but wisely does not attempt to provide all the answers. To attempt to do so would come across too heavy-handed. Pippa is introduced at the beginning as "an enigma". Although a lot of revelations have been made along the way, when we reach the end, we are still not sure what makes her tick. That's the way it should be, for an entertaining and thought-provoking (in a light way) movie.