This film could have been told along two different plot lines. Instead, they cleverly told the story along both plot lines...a sort of "what if" approach. I always give films extra points when they do something different...and this is a different kind of film. As we move back and forth between the two possible plot lines, sometimes it gets just a little confusing...at least briefly...which plot line are we in now? But that never lasts long.
This is also very much a film dependent on strong performances. And there are some. I've long thought that Gwyneth Paltrow is one of those actresses who will be around for a long time; this film only bolsters that opinion. I'm not very familiar with John Hannah, but I enjoyed him a lot in this film. John Lynch (who shares my last name) stutters around too much in this film, but I suspect that was the way he was directed to act; I did laugh when Paltrow accuses him of acting like Woody Allen. Jeanne Tripplehorn comes across as a total (fill in the blank) here; nasty roles can be juicy, but I tire of an actor when he or she often plays the villain. The rest of the cast here are truly just supporting actors...important to film, but none stand out. You'll focus on the 3 primary characters...and they each have a lot of screen time since they are part of 2 different story lines.
This is one film where the two endings allow you to be satisfied one way or the other.
This is also very much a film dependent on strong performances. And there are some. I've long thought that Gwyneth Paltrow is one of those actresses who will be around for a long time; this film only bolsters that opinion. I'm not very familiar with John Hannah, but I enjoyed him a lot in this film. John Lynch (who shares my last name) stutters around too much in this film, but I suspect that was the way he was directed to act; I did laugh when Paltrow accuses him of acting like Woody Allen. Jeanne Tripplehorn comes across as a total (fill in the blank) here; nasty roles can be juicy, but I tire of an actor when he or she often plays the villain. The rest of the cast here are truly just supporting actors...important to film, but none stand out. You'll focus on the 3 primary characters...and they each have a lot of screen time since they are part of 2 different story lines.
This is one film where the two endings allow you to be satisfied one way or the other.