Married Life (2007)

Director:

Ira Sachs

Writers (WGA):

Ira Sachs (screenplay) &
Oren Moverman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 March 2008 (Canada)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Do you know what really goes on in the mind of the person with whom you sleep?

Plot:

A 1940s-set drama where an adulterous man plots his wife's death instead of putting her through the humiliation of a divorce.

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Best Friend | Bachelor | Lover | Poison

Cast

Chris Cooper	...	Harry Allen
Annabel Kershaw	...	Miss Jones
Pierce Brosnan	...	Richard Langley
Patricia Clarkson	...	Pat Allen
Rachel McAdams	...	Kay Nesbitt
Sheila Paterson	...	Mrs. Walsh
David Richmond-Peck	...	Tom
Erin Boyes	...	Becky
Elijah St. Germain	...	Little Charlie
Terence Kelly	...	Dr. Anderson
Timothy Webber	...	Alvin Walters
Rebecca Codling	...	Photo Store Clerk
David Wenham	...	John O'Brien
Dolores Drake	...	Cinema Cashier
Malcolm Boddington	...	Well-Tailored Man

Also Known As:

Marriage (USA) (working title)
Pour le meilleur et pour le pire (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and a scene of sexuality.

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Canada:14A | USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | Australia:M | UK:PG | South Africa:13L | Singapore:NC-16 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Netherlands:AL | Finland:K-11 | Portugal:M/12 | Mexico:B15 | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In some driving scenes, the lines in the streets are yellow. Also some warning signs are in yellow, and placed higher on their respective poles. This is not correct for the 1940s. Lines were white. And signs were placed closer to street level for ease of viewing.

Quotes:

Kay Nesbitt: A woman needs to be loved, and that's true. But it's not the whole truth. She also needs somebody to love.

Movie Connections:

Features Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)

Soundtrack:

Say Your Mine

Fun! smart ensemble acting with clever script

Lots of fun - an adult movie that keeps you guessing about how the characters will understand themselves. A sort of farce, a sort of mordant comedy, driven by id, but on the surface well-mannered & careful, this film features a quartet of talented actors who consistently entertain & provoke us to think about what lies beneath our own happiness - or lack of it.

The weakest link is Rachel McAdams - luscious & pretty but not sexy-juicy. David Wenham is underused - he's such a creative, pithy, strongly male actor it's a shame his part isn't larger. Minor quibbles as the film works extremely well as it is. The sets & costumes are perfect, except that Brosnan's hair style is more '65 than '49, but maybe he's just ahead of his time.

Brosnan is excellent as slimy snake. Chris Cooper is great, & believable as a man driven more by his fantasies of love than by really feeling love. But why not a few hot necking scenes at least? For a movie about sex & love, there are NO sex/love scenes, except for one half-lit dark second or two.

Patricia Clarkson - wow - gorgeous, the most interesting character in the film really; nuanced, layered deep expression of real character. The wise one who sacrifices most - she's the one that really loves, despite her protests to the contrary.

See it - you will be entertained, provoked, & perhaps finally comforted. In a slightly twisted way.