This is a film about what happens to "the rest of us" when someone important in our lives pass away. What do the "rest of us" do now and how do we carry on and live with the mistakes we may have made with or in regards to that person. It sounds good concept on paper but it is quite empty on screen when the true plot and "twists" are quickly revealed. Perhaps that is a reflection of the empty stillness we have immediately following someone's death, but we aren't made to feel anything during the duration of the film.
The film starts off slow with a woman (Heather Graham -Cami) waiting in a motel and a teen girl, her daughter Aster, frolicing by the pool with a teen boy. Then things escalate rather quickly as the family cat dies, immediately followed by the death of estranged ex-husband of Cami and father of Aster. The timing and pacing of both death announcements are offputting to say the least. It's completely unbelievable writing filled with unwitty dark sarcasm, thus we're given lack luster performances by both actresses. We are to believe a woman and her teen daughter have zero reaction to the death of their cat and ex-husband/father, Craig, who they learn have both died in the same hour? Heather Graham's character, Cami, is driving a car while on the phone and has minimal reaction to his death. She only pulls over and shows a small ounce of visible impact when she tells her daughter and shakes once. Of course, they are trying to give the illusion that these women can care less about this man, Craig, because he left them and broke up the family and later we're supposed to find out just how much they care. But no one can control their emotions _that_ well when they secretly truly care about someone.
The empty story continues as it creates no picture of the deceased man for the viewer or audience to cling to. He's not in any flashbacks and the 5 memories people mention about him have nothing to do with the mans character, personality, or impact, and that explains the complete lack of emotion all of the characters in the story reveal to have towards him.
Why did we even need a cat in this movie, other than to pretend that was the last connection the women had with the ex-husband/father?
As the "twists" are revealed we slowly find out that the teen girl, Aster, is sleeping with her bestfriend's boy friend, we learn that the estranged husband and father got that way because he cheated and married a new woman, Rachel, and started a new family. We learn that the ex-wife, Heather Graham/Cami, was having an affair with her ex-husband while he was with that new wife. So it turns into a blaming match as all of the mistresses blame each other for being mistresses. Who are we to feel sympathy for? They all reveal themselves to be awful unlikeable women, not because they sleep around with taken men, but because they mistreat and blame each other rather than own up to their own faults and realize they all have issues that they could all use work on.
Heather's character is most likely the most understandable because she doesn't outwardly attack anyone, she welcomes strangers into her home and treats her daughter with respect, except when she intentionally decides to be the "other woman" after knowing what it's like to be scorned by a cheater.
But it all feels very superficial because we only have the faintest of ideas of who these people are. Heather/Cami claims she loves her ex Craig, but we don't get any flashbacks to give us a clue why. Rachel never expresses love and is in absolute survival mode, which overshadows her grief or feelings. We have only brushed the surface of who the 3 main characters are. We have no idea what "Craig" is like. We have no clue what the best friend or boyfriend are like save for 3 lines from each, so how can we feel sympathy for anyone? We are told everything, rather being shown, and much of it is completely unbelievable so it's hard to commit to the story at all. A widow who doesn't qualify for the life insurance money at all because it wasn't paid in 6 months? Given no warning before her home is locked and items are sold? A teenager you just met runs off with your young daughter and is gone for 24 hrs and you high-five her when she returns with your daughter?
And then after the minimal drama, everything wraps up in the last 6 minutes of the movie with the wives deciding to "call it even" and now everyone is happy and life is good. More emptiness and a happy ending unearned. There were no deep conversations or big break throughs and no lessons learned. They just all decided not to be angry anymore after the daughters ran off for a day.
Overall, we're given this empty box in pretty sparkling packaging (movie is set in a beautiful huge home). As these woman's lives revolve around the hurt they feel because of a man, and not actually about what they truly feel for him or any other aspect of their lives that makes them individuals and human and women. So overall it is disappointing.
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