Director: Azazel Jacobs Starring: Debra Winger, Tracy Letts Studio: A24 Genre(s): Drama Rated: R (For sexuality and language) |
Considering the rising divorce rates that keep destroying
families, you can’t deny that marriage is hard.
The spark stops coming, the romance dies, and two people who once
considered each other to be best friends now sit in a room and might as well be
perfect strangers. These are themes that
are ripe for movies to tackle because of how complex they are. The outcome varies, of course. Sometimes the couple splits up for good while
sometimes they get back together again.
“The Lovers” goes with the flow that Michael (Tracy Letts) and Mary
(Debra Winger) are on the verge of getting a divorce. They are both secretly having affairs with
one another and the only time they seem to communicate is when they need to
discuss an impending visit by their son.
Even he isn’t fooled though, telling his girlfriend “if I ever start
acting like [my parents] feel free to punch me.”
When the film started there was misery in the air and I sank
into my chair, waiting almost with dread that I would be spending two hours with
a couple of the most miserable people on the face of the Earth. I wasn’t prepared to be dismayed, but I’ve
seen those movies before, and you have to do something really unique to avoid
falling into the trap of producing endless melancholy. Then, at one point, there is a spark. A kiss. A moment of human contact between the
two that is accidental and unintentional that causes the two to look at each
other for the first time in years. Now
they feel passion for each other once more.
They are even flirting with each other.
One of the lovers notices the change in attitude so much that she asks
Michael “are you cheating on me with your WIFE?!” I have to admit that I found the absurdity of
that one line to be a highlight.
Getting slightly off topic, this is Debra Winger’s first
starring role in years. She used to have
steamy sex scenes with Richard Gere in movies like “An Officer and a
Gentleman.” There is some sex here too
(although much less graphic this time around), and she still has the moves and
the look of a woman who is in complete control of her body and sexuality. To the point where, yeah, in a loveless
marriage I can certainly see why she believes she can do better. When she does make love with her husband the
scenes are sweet and passionate. The
movie starts to get a lot lighter and more full of life when the two start
enjoying each other again. There is a
sweetness in seeing these two people fall in love with each other all over
again. We start to hope that maybe they can ultimately have their fairy tale
ending.
Whether they get their happy ending or not I refuse to
spoil. The movie managed to throw a few
curve balls at me, which only heightened the fun I had watching it. It is interesting that this is in theaters
the same weekend that “Baywatch” opens big across the country. That movie is juvenile, unfunny, and lacks
sex appeal despite the relentless sexual content on display. In comparison “The Lovers” is mature, sweet,
and sexy despite the sexual restraint on display. Both are rated R but “The Lovers” feels like
it was made with mature audiences in mind, while “Baywatch” seems like it was
made by kids for kids. To see a movie
this intelligent made for adults during the Memorial Day weekend is such a
shock it gives me a little hope for the future.
I mean, not much because I doubt this is going to be a financial
success, but hopefully it will find a life on DVD and streaming sites over the
years.
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there is enough sex and language to earn the R rating, but it's all done tastefully and most adults won't find much to object to. Recommended for ages 17 and up.
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