A limo driver (Philip Seymour Hoffman) has a blind date with a funeral home employee (Amy Ryan) that sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. One couple starts awkward and goes up, the other starts solid and goes down.
This is a film not only starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, but his directorial debut. Roger Ebert sums up Hoffman's approach by saying, "He is merciless in using himself as an actor. His face is often seen in close-up, sweaty, splotchy, red as if he suffers from rosacea. He seems to be perpetually blushing. In life, Hoffman's skin is perfectly normal; not every actor would stand for this, but vanity is not one of Hoffman's sins." I agree: Jack looks terrible, but that is precisely the point. A trim, handsome man is not what this film is about.
I went in with lower expectations, due in part to the film being called a "romantic comedy", and also just in general because I tend to review horror films, so I am not the best person to critique other genres. At least, I do not think so. I would say the film met or slightly exceeded my expectations, but it is nothing amazing. If you want a film about dating or awkward people in love, I recommend a Wes Anderson film. This one just seemed to ring hollow for me, like it missed the mark a few times.
The actors all do a fine job, the story is simple but effective. It is actually somewhat sweet. But it did not connect with me. At all. I will most likely never watch the film again and I cannot recommend it to others, unless they are Philip Seymour Hoffman fans. Beyond that section of the population, it just seemed to be a bit empty. I wish I could say otherwise, I want to like the film, but I do not.
This is a film not only starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, but his directorial debut. Roger Ebert sums up Hoffman's approach by saying, "He is merciless in using himself as an actor. His face is often seen in close-up, sweaty, splotchy, red as if he suffers from rosacea. He seems to be perpetually blushing. In life, Hoffman's skin is perfectly normal; not every actor would stand for this, but vanity is not one of Hoffman's sins." I agree: Jack looks terrible, but that is precisely the point. A trim, handsome man is not what this film is about.
I went in with lower expectations, due in part to the film being called a "romantic comedy", and also just in general because I tend to review horror films, so I am not the best person to critique other genres. At least, I do not think so. I would say the film met or slightly exceeded my expectations, but it is nothing amazing. If you want a film about dating or awkward people in love, I recommend a Wes Anderson film. This one just seemed to ring hollow for me, like it missed the mark a few times.
The actors all do a fine job, the story is simple but effective. It is actually somewhat sweet. But it did not connect with me. At all. I will most likely never watch the film again and I cannot recommend it to others, unless they are Philip Seymour Hoffman fans. Beyond that section of the population, it just seemed to be a bit empty. I wish I could say otherwise, I want to like the film, but I do not.