Married Life is the sweetest, most tender movie you'll ever see about a man who wants to kills his wife so he can be with his young girlfriend.
In post-WWII America, Harry Allen and Richard Langley (Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan) are two old friends who couldn't be more different. Harry is happily married and romantic. Rich is a confirmed bachelor and cynic in the ways of love. Then one day, Rich hears something he never expected from his friend. Harry is having an affair. He still loves his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson), but Harry has become frustrated and unfulfilled by Pat's determined unsentimentality. Harry doesn't want a good and loving companion, he wants a soul mate and he thinks he's found one in Kay Nesbitt (Rachel McAdams). Harry even introduces Kay to Rich, confident that his friend will keep his secret.
The problem is that Harry still cares about Pat and can't stand the idea of the pain and embarrassment a divorce would cause her. T hings are further complicated when Rich finds himself drawn to Kay, and then discovers something about Pat that could solve Harry's problem. Rich turns that information to his benefit, however, without ever knowing that Harry has decided the only way out of his predicament is to kill Pat. Harry thinks it's the kindest thing he can do, but discovers that killing your wife is a much thornier problem than he expected, both practically and emotionally.
If you just consider the plot, Married Life seems like a noirish thriller. It's really a relaxed and heartfelt meditation on the sanctity of marriage and how that union can prosper and satisfy, if you can protect it from the challenges of desire and impatience. It asks us to consider two people who get everything they need from each other, yet are willing to throw that away because they can't have what they want. You expect Harry to learn a lesson from his adulterous and murder-planning ways, but he doesn't learn the lesson you expected.
The acting in this movie is quite good, if a bit low key. Chris Cooper does a nice job not letting Harry collapse into a caricature. Instead of letting Harry seem like a selfish hypocrite, Cooper shows us a man whose deep emotions are simply running away with him. Brosnan is also good as the more worldly Rich who secretly envies the peace and care of his friend's marriage. Rachel McAdams is exceptionally beautiful as Kay, but her performance is unexceptional. You can understand why Harry and Rich would fall in lust with her, but McAdams never gives the character enough to make us believe they would fall madly in love with her. But the star of the show is Patricia Clarkson. She is ceaselessly charming and endearing as Pat, even more so when we discover there's more to her than just being a devoted wife.
Now, there are a couple of plot twists that are tough to swallow and the film appears to be in complete denial about the fact that McAdams looks young enough to be Cooper or Brosnan's daughter. It's one thing for "the other woman" to be much younger when the story is on the page, but when you see a couple of middle aged men enamored with a woman at least 20 years younger than they are, there are certain inescapable implications which flow from that dynamic. The age difference should say something about the relationships between Harry and Kay and Rich and Kay. Married Life, however, just cruises along without even vaguely acknowledging those implications.
A lot of stories talk about love. Far fewer talk about marriage. Even less than that focus on marriage as it actually is. Married Life is a light, funny and appealing entry into that minuscule third category. If you've ever wanted to kill the person you love, definitely give it a look.
In post-WWII America, Harry Allen and Richard Langley (Chris Cooper and Pierce Brosnan) are two old friends who couldn't be more different. Harry is happily married and romantic. Rich is a confirmed bachelor and cynic in the ways of love. Then one day, Rich hears something he never expected from his friend. Harry is having an affair. He still loves his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson), but Harry has become frustrated and unfulfilled by Pat's determined unsentimentality. Harry doesn't want a good and loving companion, he wants a soul mate and he thinks he's found one in Kay Nesbitt (Rachel McAdams). Harry even introduces Kay to Rich, confident that his friend will keep his secret.
The problem is that Harry still cares about Pat and can't stand the idea of the pain and embarrassment a divorce would cause her. T hings are further complicated when Rich finds himself drawn to Kay, and then discovers something about Pat that could solve Harry's problem. Rich turns that information to his benefit, however, without ever knowing that Harry has decided the only way out of his predicament is to kill Pat. Harry thinks it's the kindest thing he can do, but discovers that killing your wife is a much thornier problem than he expected, both practically and emotionally.
If you just consider the plot, Married Life seems like a noirish thriller. It's really a relaxed and heartfelt meditation on the sanctity of marriage and how that union can prosper and satisfy, if you can protect it from the challenges of desire and impatience. It asks us to consider two people who get everything they need from each other, yet are willing to throw that away because they can't have what they want. You expect Harry to learn a lesson from his adulterous and murder-planning ways, but he doesn't learn the lesson you expected.
The acting in this movie is quite good, if a bit low key. Chris Cooper does a nice job not letting Harry collapse into a caricature. Instead of letting Harry seem like a selfish hypocrite, Cooper shows us a man whose deep emotions are simply running away with him. Brosnan is also good as the more worldly Rich who secretly envies the peace and care of his friend's marriage. Rachel McAdams is exceptionally beautiful as Kay, but her performance is unexceptional. You can understand why Harry and Rich would fall in lust with her, but McAdams never gives the character enough to make us believe they would fall madly in love with her. But the star of the show is Patricia Clarkson. She is ceaselessly charming and endearing as Pat, even more so when we discover there's more to her than just being a devoted wife.
Now, there are a couple of plot twists that are tough to swallow and the film appears to be in complete denial about the fact that McAdams looks young enough to be Cooper or Brosnan's daughter. It's one thing for "the other woman" to be much younger when the story is on the page, but when you see a couple of middle aged men enamored with a woman at least 20 years younger than they are, there are certain inescapable implications which flow from that dynamic. The age difference should say something about the relationships between Harry and Kay and Rich and Kay. Married Life, however, just cruises along without even vaguely acknowledging those implications.
A lot of stories talk about love. Far fewer talk about marriage. Even less than that focus on marriage as it actually is. Married Life is a light, funny and appealing entry into that minuscule third category. If you've ever wanted to kill the person you love, definitely give it a look.