The One I Love (2014) User Reviews

Good episode of the Twilight Zone

[voyou-703-655350 · 7/10 · 28 August 2014]

I rarely watch a romantic comedy, and I wouldn't have watched this one based on the IMDb plot description, so thanks to the then 15 reviews that changed my mind. That was a very pleasant hour and a half.

I like to be told a story, and that's what the movie does. This story is completely centred around its characters, the young couple next door, portrayed with simplicity and in a way that lets us relate and empathise. They also act and react like sane and sensible people, which is so uncommon nowadays that it's worth mentioning.

I'll sum it up as both intriguing and amusing, a double source of entertainment. One way to achieve that is to confuse the viewer as much as the protagonists. A very right thing to do, and done in the right proportion in my opinion. We can get confused for a minute, yet we always understand what's happening. There is also a constant undertone of drama. The ending alone can be felt very differently based on our mood of the moment.

Rich writing and solid delivery can satisfy you on several levels. A theatre screen is not necessary though; renting it is fine if you're on a budget.

You can't always get what you want

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 20 August 2014]

Greetings again from the darkness. Starting out with a typical marriage counseling session, director Charlie McDowell and writer Justin Lader lull us into a movie-going comfort zone based on our experience with such Hollywood fluff as Hope Springs and Couples Retreat. All that should be said at this point is ... not so fast!

A crumbling marriage and the subsequent lack of success with communication, leads therapist (Ted Danson) to recommend a weekend alone at a private country estate. The twists and turns that await Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss), take marriage counseling to an entirely new spectrum. Sophie wants to reignite that early relationship spark and Ethan just wants things back to normal.

The setting does justice to the legend of beautiful California real estate, but things aren't all they seem as Ethan and Sophie bounce back and forth between the main house and guest house. It's in these moments where the big relationship questions are addressed ... and the script is smart, funny, creative and dark. It's not likely anyone can watch this without having some inner dialogue, and probably even some real discussion afterwards.

Mark Duplass ("The League", Safety Not Guaranteed) and Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men") not only carry the film, but also take on significant responsibility with wide-ranging personality traits and subtle physical changes. Duplass is exceptional and easy for most guys to relate to in how he handles the challenges. While I've never been a big fan of Ms. Moss, her performance here is quite impressive. Whether "together" or "apart", they complement each other nicely.

The closest comparison I have for this one is Ruby Sparks (2012), but this one will have you questioning what makes a relationship work and what should we really expect in our partner. The idea of recapturing the initial spark is absurd, but that doesn't lessen the need for realistic expectations. For the first feature from director Charlie McDowell (son of Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen) and writer Justin Lader, the unique and creative approach to such a complex topic make these two people to keep an eye on.

Fun, farcical doppelgänger tale devolves into weak Twilight Zone-like episode in second half

[Turfseer · 6/10 · 6 February 2015]

"The One I Love", a successful entry at the Sundance Festival, was released for a limited run in August of 2014. It was originally conceived as a 50 page script by Justin Lader and director Charlie McDowell fashioned it into something longer, after encouraging the principal actors, Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss, to improvise.

Lader's script veers between farce and science fiction. The first half is more farcical and reveals a coterie of truths concerning relationships between men and women. The second half is less successful, with an unfortunate attempt to emulate "Twilight Zone." The story begins with great promise. A troubled couple, Ethan and Sophie, are seeing a therapist (Ted Danson) in order to re-establish some kind of intimacy in their relationship. The therapist recommends a weekend retreat to a secluded estate.

Andrew O'Hehir of Salon Magazine describes where each of the two principals are at when they arrive at the estate: "Ethan has the wounded pride of a guy who thinks he has done quite enough apologizing and now suspects he'll never get anything right; Sophie has the prickly, passive-aggressive demeanor of a woman who's searching for the guy she fell in love with but isn't sure he still exists."

The story becomes quite engaging with the inciting incident, when Ethan insists that the good sex Sophie claims occurred the night before, never happened. Soon Ethan and Sophie discover that there are Ethan and Sophie doubles who have been pretending to be them whenever they enter a guest house by themselves.

Both doubles are supposed to be idealized versions of their real counterparts but Ethan's double is much more distinctive than Sophie's (it's much easier to recognize him since he doesn't wear glasses, unlike the real Ethan). Double Ethan impresses Real Sophie when she discovers him painting her portrait—when she finds the portrait a bit dour, he owns up to being a "lousy painter." Real Sophie is disarmed by his honesty. Later, Double Ethan admits to his earlier infidelity (the main cause of their marital discord) and Real Sophie completely falls for him after he promises to make amends.

Screenwriter Lader shows a great talent for farce with his depiction of Real Ethan's burgeoning jealousy. The fun stuff reaches its apotheosis when Real Ethan enters the guest house pretending to be Double Ethan and makes love to his real wife. Elise Nakhnikian of Slant Magazine understands that Lader's script is getting to something much more serious underneath the lighthearted goings-on: "It's an inventive way to surface issues like how romance tends to lose its spark and people tend to get set in their ways in long-term relationships, becoming less attentive and appreciative of one another—and how the bad feelings let in by a breach of faith can harden into an impassible barrier."

Unfortunately, around the mid-point, the fun dissipates as the doubles reveal themselves as a "team" and meet real Ethan and Sophie at the main house. Double Ethan is no longer the "new and improved" Ethan and reveals Real Ethan's deceit when he took his place and made love to Real Sophie. The bizarre socializing (including a dull poker game) slows down the manic proceedings and it feels that the earlier premise has been altered and the narrative has now worn out its welcome.

Double Sophie soon provides Real Ethan with a convoluted explanation as to what's happening. As the doubles repair their relationship, they'll be allowed to leave but as the real Ethan and Sophie continue to bicker, they'll remain trapped. Nonetheless, Double Sophie volunteers to help Real Ethan and Sophie escape as she doesn't want Double Ethan to run off with Real Sophie.

The Twilight Zone-like explanation that the doubles are real people planted by the therapist doesn't appear to be worked out very well. Nakhnikian in Slant Magazine feels that the explanation "raises distracting questions." She asks, "How do the doppelgängers manage to look so much like Sophie and Ethan? How does the therapist keep them trapped in the guest house? And who's the therapist and why is he playing God like this?" The ending is equally unsatisfying as Real Ethan runs off with one of the Sophie's merely on his gut feelings; as it turns out (SUPER SPOILERS AHEAD) he chooses the wrong one. Meanwhile, Double Ethan remains unconscious at the estate after running into an unexplained force field that suddenly pops up, as he attempts to run away.

"The One I Love" could have assuredly utilized a better explanation for the presence of the clone-like doubles at the estate. That way the premise could have been more convincing, based on some kind of verisimilitude. At a certain point the fun is lost, and the narrative turns a tad bit nasty. Still, "The One I Love" is a very promising start for the first time writer and director.

Pretty outstanding

[Red_Identity · 17 August 2014]

Boy, was that so not what I expected. That's all I'm going to say though, anything else would be a disservice to those who haven't seen it. All I'm going to say is that it's a splendid film. Endlessly intriguing with some superb writing and directing, and two absolutely fantastic leading performances. I remember Mark Duplass from Your Sister's Sister, and he's even better here. A guy to watch out for. The main reason I sought this out was because of Elisabeth Moss, who's already given one of my all-time favorite female performance on television with Mad Men. I was pretty excited to see her for the first time in a film, and as a fan, she still surprised me. She's enormously talented, and her work here isn't unlike her work in Mad Men. She's subdued, and always giving the impression that she's portraying so many different facets of her character beneath the surface. If Duplass is great, Moss adds that extra dimension that makes her work here nothing short of outstanding. It's the best female performance I've seen all year, if maybe only rivaled by Johansson's turn in Under The Skin. And, well, the entire film is one of the best I've seen this year. I strongly recommend this, and recommend everyone sees it without knowing too much about it.

Weighed down by leaving too many questions not answered

[SomeGuyName · 6/10 · 14 October 2017]

6.5, so above average. I'd recommend never reading the reviews for this movie before you watch it. I barely read the description, because I was told "the less you know, the better", and it's extremely important for this movie. I think it'll even be boring upon a second watch, now that I don't have to think and guess as I had upon the first.

So, major spoilers. You have been warned.

I have many complaints and many great things to say about this movie, but like the miserable couple in it, I will focus on the bad parts. So, what I gather from the premise is, there are always one couple in the house/quest house that can't leave, because their relationship is not strong enough. And, when some new couple come visit,(guided by some psychopath Doctor Who-ish therapist) the trapped couple tries to switch places with them. They do so, by taking on an idealized form of the new couple, the female seducing the male and so on... And then, when the new couple's relationship is weakened because the trapped couple's fake personalities appears to be so much more awesome than their partner's, the trapped couple can leave, making the "new" couple become the trapped ones instead.

This left so many questions, that will frustratingly never be answered.

1) How do the trapped couple shape shift into the idealized forms of the other couple? Is it magic? Quantum mechanics? I don't know, and neither does the movie.

2) So at the end, the male lead realizes that he has escaped with the idealized version of Moss by mistake. He decides to just roll with it, since his original wife coldly and knowingly decided to stay with his fake version - I totally get that. What I don't get is the fake Moss-character's decision to stay with him after she escaped. What's in it for her? She must've gone insane trying to keep up the idealized act forever, given that she is also a real person, who had another life before.

3) Related to the one above, are the shape shifting permanent? Do they have permanent fake personalities as well, never being able to reclaim the life they had before? Are they forced to do this, simply because they wanted a better relationship?!

4) What point is the therapist trying to make? After all, all of the couples entering the house/guest house, will have their relationship destroyed, and then be forced to shape shift into a stranger's idea of perfection. They don't get anything fixed, only cruel punishment awaits.

Some people say this movie would've been better as a short. I say this movie would've been better as a horror. It was, in fact, recommended to me, because I was searching for a scary movie(damn you, Metafilter, and your ever so tame idea of "scary stuff"). I'll never forget the creeped out feeling I got when I saw Kate Moss holding a babushka, realizing that this would be about doppelgängers, but sadly not knowing that it was intended to be a drama-mystery- comedy.

Thus, I sat there waiting in glee for some revelation of the terrible creatures behind the perfect facades, or some build-up to an incredibly freaky psychological horror. They could've done so much with this! I wish they were aliens or something, with a slow, scary revelation of creepy habits, that would make the couple regret their decisions. Or maybe they could've just played around with the surreal feeling of being with your partner, but not really, and the surreal states and psychology that follows living with a fantastic being, that knows it's not real. Yet the simple concept of the movie stayed as minimalist as it was when it begun. Shame.

And one last thing. The Kate Moss-character was surprisingly, well, stupid - the fact that she turned out to be "right" in the end didn't prevent me from strongly disliking her, in all her "but if it feeeeels right"- pretensions. I actually thought what she did was worse than the male character cheating, but most of all, I just couldn't connect with her. She lacked both curiosity and fear in a way I found unbelievable, and I actually understood her shape shifter-version much better.

Great surprise but that's quite just it

[Seraphion · 6/10 · 21 August 2014]

The story is about how Ethan and Sophie's marriage is on the brink of divorce, so they go to a marriage counselor, who then sends them on a holiday at a country house. One night they fight because after having an intimate intercourse, Ethan denies Sophie he had the same experience. They let it go that night but when the the subject reemerges the next morning, Ethan, suspecting something, then goes to search the house. They then find that there are two people, who are their exact copies. They scoot out of the place at first. But due to sheer curiosity they come back and each take 'sessions' with the copies of the spouse. They both soon find that the copies are the better version of them. Ethan can shake away the temptation to 'cheat' with Sophie's copy, but Sophie gets more and more attracted to Ethan's copy.

He then take Sophie and confront the copies. Ethan's copy considers that the whole condition is just something ordinary. Ethan's copy asks the group to go on hiking, which Ethan and Sophie's copy declined. Sophie's copy tells the truth that there can only be two people leaving the place, and that she is not willing to have Ethan's copy to leave with the real Sophie. With Sophie's copy, Ethan sneaks in and talk Sophie out of going. Ethan's copy, after a brief confrontation with Ethan, storms out to go out on his own. But he is stopped at the gate. Ethan then takes Sophie, one of the Sophies, to leave the country house, while the other Sophie is kind of stunned watching the whole ordeal. Back in their house, Ethan and Sophie get their marriage back on track, or is it the real Sophie?

I like the surprise of the copies that the movie presents. I've seen the similar concept depicted on the movie +1 (2013). But this movie takes it a bit further by exploring more on the side of relationship between the real persons and the copies. But it also can kind of makes it a little bit harder to follow which ones are the real persons and which are the copies, due to there are many scenes with fast flow where the characters changes clothes.

The mood of the entire movie is, unlike +1, is kept at the lonesome gloom. While on the other hand the pace of the story flow is done interchanging from slow to fast to slow again. Yet they're done predictably, enabling the viewers to barely hold on to the story despite it's quite absurd nature. The terminal twist after the confrontations are also a nice touch to the whole story. They make the movie quite worthy to be mention as a mystery genre movie.

An the acting side, Both Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss did just an okay performance. Their performance wasn't any special because the viewers still find a bit of difficulty in distinguishing between the real characters and the copies, beside the help of the physical distinctions.

My opinion for The One I Love (2014) is that it's worth a recommendation to go and see. It's just regrettable that the surprise element is juts it's only fun factor, thus I give it only a 6 out of 10 score.

A unique way to let go of your marriage problems!

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 14 June 2016]

This is a slow start, but the second half makes it worth a watch. You better know nothing about the film, just have it and enjoy your time. Because that was the case for me and then I found it a good one. I don't know this director, but Mark Duplass was doing such kind of unique concept small films. So there's no surprise, except I did know I would end up liking it very much.

When it comes to the film theme, kind of resembles 'Coherence'. The whole film revolves around a married couple, except in the beginning. So it is a minimal cast film that is set in a remote place villa. As their therapist's instruction a couple who are on the edge of losing their marriage, tries a weekend getaway to patch the differences. But end up encountering the strange events that pleases them more than what they've expected. When they begin to realise the reality, comes the trouble to fix it once for all.

The third act was amazing. The pace keeps getting better and the tension in the story simply creates enough curiosity about the ending. But the conclusion was very basic and guessable. I liked the honest than too much fancy. Still the viewers look for the answers regarding how it ended which is kind of a wide open for the discussions.

I love modern sci-fi dramas, especially in the last one decade, I have been enjoying them a lot, which are highly intelligent yet casually narrated on the screen that anybody can understand easily. If you had liked films such as 'Coherence', 'Another Earth', 'Her', 'Melanchony' et cetera, then surely would have a good time with it.

7/10

From Malcolm McDowell's son...rom com grows a brain

[bob_meg · 10/10 · 24 August 2014]

It's hard to relay the joy I felt watching The One I Love, Charlie McDowell's first full-length feature. It's the kind of film you'll remember for a long time because it breaks so many boundaries. It's the kind of film Spike Jonze might come up with, minus some of the academic pretensions he sometimes clings to.

The trailer for The One I Love is almost perfect. It doesn't spoil the premise of the film, and neither will I.

Mark Duplass (who also produced along with his bro, of course) and Elizabeth Moss are excellently cast as Ethan and Sophie, two not-so-newlyweds who are encountering all too typical problems "relating."

At the suggestion of their therapist (Ted Danson, in a just-right cameo) they spend a weekend at a rather large rental house, unsuspecting of the lengths their counselor is willing to go to in order to motivate them to "connect."

The One I Love is a high-wire act by anyone's standards. The script is especially brilliant, but it doesn't spit its brilliance in your face constantly and then ask for your approval with laughter or the occasional tear. Instead, it dabbles in elements of Sci-Fi and Fantasy but doesn't let the main characters (or the audience) off easily by subjugating the human story to questions of logistics. In other words, this isn't a movie for the compulsively left-brained and anal. The performances and plot are engaging enough to make you accept this often absurd but always engaging film for what it is.

It takes guts to break the rules, even more talent to make it work. With The One I Love, Charlie McDowell seems destined to reprove the adage that talent runs in the family.

love the inventive twist

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 27 June 2015]

Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss) are struggling as a couple after he cheated on her. The therapist (Ted Danson) sends them on a retreat. What starts out as a nice simple vacation takes a strange unexpected turn.

It's hard to write a review about this movie without giving away the twist. It's a rather boring indie for the first 20 minutes. Then it takes the left turn and gets quirky fun real quick. It's great when the couple is trying to figure it out. It's pretty funny. It does drag a little after the initial turn. It goes into something deeper than a simple comedy.

A Unique and Superbly Executed Relationship Study.

[readybrek82 · 9/10 · 25 September 2014]

Pros: - Two incredible central performances from Mark Duplass and Elisabeth Moss. Both of them overcame the challenge of having to play two very similar but crucially different characters each.

• A refreshingly new study of relationships. Themes such as the idea that both a husband and wife are different people during the courting period/start of the marriage than they are years into the marriage. Also, the theme that everyone behaves differently depending on who they are with and that flaws in a relationship can be a good thing and that a perfect relationship isn't necessarily the happiest one.

• The tonal balance between drama and comedy is admirably achieved by first time director Charlie McDowell.

• Writer Justin Lader's script also contributes this and is both very real and refreshingly, playfully profane at times.

-The existing music and originally composed score both do an equally admirable job in achieving this tonal balance.

-The subtle aesthetic differences between the clothing and accessories of the four main characters is cleverly used to avoid confusing the viewer and to accentuate the similar but uniquely different personalities of the four main characters.

-The almost photobook perfect setting is the ideal staging ground for the dark and dramatic events that unfold later in the movie.

-Ted Danson has a short but sweet cameo.

Cons: -The movie is caught somewhere between fully explaining the science fiction elements of the story and not explaining them at all. The movie would've worked perfectly fine without any explanation of the phenomena but once the scene with the laptop popped up, it should've fully explained things or otherwise should've been cut.

-Sometimes the interactions between the characters and issues touched upon got to be annoyingly familiar and repetitive.

Intriguing combination of humor and pathos

[jlevy-24 · 7/10 · 4 May 2014]

I'm a huge fan of the Duplasse brothers and of Elizabeth Moss and I saw this film at the Montclair (NJ) Film Festival and enjoyed it very much. The description doesn't do it justice BUT to provide a more in-depth description would have to include spoilers and this is a film that you DON'T want to have spoiled for you. Both Moss and Duplasse are charming in this clever dramedy with real meaning for those of us for whom a long- term marriage carries with it both discomfort and comfort. Ted Danson plays a marriage counselor who sends this couple off for a weekend that he guarantees will help repair their badly broken connection. But they are in for a wealth of surprises over the weekend. Lots of humorous bits but it is basically a serious look at long-term relationships and how people have to come to terms with what they truly want.

One of the most original movies to come out in a while. I loved it & highly recommend this. Just don't tell anyone about the twist

[cosmo_tiger · 9/10 · 2 November 2014]

"We had two completely separate experiences with each other that neither of us remembers." Ethan (Duplass) and Sophie (Moss) are married and are having problems. When their therapist recommends a weekend getaway they jump at the chance. The night starts off great with a romantic dinner but then things start to happen to each other without the other one remembering. What starts off as confusion becomes something that no one can or wants to believe. This is a movie that can not be spoiled. The trailer does not give the main idea away and if you have seen it please don't tell anyone else about it. The only way to describe this is that it has a very Twilight Zone feel to it. This is not a typical romantic comedy or even drama. What I will say is that this is one of the most original movies that have come out in a while and I absolutely loved it. This is a movie that must be seen and recommended but not described. Much like the sixth sense it will be ruined if you know the twist. Overall, one of the most original movies to come out in a long time. I loved it and highly recommend this. Just do not tell anyone about the twist. I give this an A.

What to expect

[bigmystery23 · 6/10 · 8 May 2014]

So I recently saw this film having no idea what it was about, and I'm glad I saw it without having seen a trailer or reading a synopsis because my review/warning can be more honest and less bias.

First off, I want to explain that this is mostly going to be a warning rather than a review, but I won't spoil anything critical to the movie. I want to begin by saying that there is one particularly huge plot hole that will leave some people annoyed (I was one of those people). Secondly, the last fifteen minutes of this film is very strange and a bit confusing. Genre-wise, this is a science fiction comedy. The combination of the two is interesting in this one. Finally, after you watch this movie you will feel one of these ways: disgusted, confused, satisfied, or entertained. I don't think anyone will absolutely love this film, but then again I may be giving a bias opinion.

Now for my review: Though I found this film to be hilarious, it is also a let down for me. I think Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass are good actors, but one of two things happened in this movie. 1) They were cheated from the director, or 2) they were the wrong choice for the two leads. Their chemistry was excellent, but there is something in the film (which I won't spoil) that shows another side of their acting and that side I didn't like entirely. The setting is gorgeous, the lighting is great, and the imagery is pretty (the cinematography is not great though). The script is funny, and there is a unique premise to it. Unfortunately, the ending is a little muddled and I wish I had known if the writer intended it to end the movie another way. Overall, I honestly can't decide whether I would recommend this film or not. It's kind of like convincing someone who is scared easily to see a really good scary movie, except in this case I am a confused person trying to say as much as I can about the film without giving away any critical aspects of the movie. I guess when (or if) you see a trailer, you should decide yourself if this is something you'd want to see.

I saw that ending from a mile off

[lovethesun · 4/10 · 7 May 2019]

I'm not going to say what happens but there was zero surprise for me. It started out with promise but it was just long and drawn out. I would not recommend it.

The grass is greenest where there's fertile soil and optimal sunlight

[tieman64 · 12 April 2016]

"To be bitter is to attribute intent and personality to the formless, infinite, unchanging and unchangeable void. We drift on a chartless, resistless sea. Let us sing when we can, and forget the rest." - H.P. Lovecraft

This is a review of "Coherence" and "The One I Love", two very similar films, both featuring doubles, doppelgangers and unnerving, quasi science-fiction plots.

Released in 2013, "Coherence" was written and directed by James Byrkit. It begins with a group of characters arriving at the home of Mike (Nicholas Brendon) and Lee (Lorene Scafaria), a married couple. Once at this home, strange occurrences begin to take place. Mobile phones begin to crack, electrical power is lost and a comet flies overhead. This comet, one guest with a keen interest in Quantum Physics suggests, is responsible for the aforementioned freak events.

Whilst waiting for the return of electrical power, Byrkit's characters talk. We learn that one is an actor, and so often "pretends to be someone else". Another is a dancer who "lost her chance to be famous" after being "replaced by another dancer". Gradually we learn that each character nurses regrets, and bemoans various missed chances and missed opportunities.

Slowly "Coherence" morphs into a horror story. With no electricity in their town, Byrkit's characters venture outside. They eventually stumble upon a home that resembles the one they just left. Even creepier, they begin to encounter replicas of themselves. Pretty soon Byrkit's entire film becomes awash with doubles and doppelgangers, these seemingly duplicated bodies shuffling about in the night like ghoulish apparitions.

"Coherence" offers a science-fictional explanation for these strange occurrences. The comet, we learn, caused a "decoherence" which "opened up doors" to different, parallel universes. Through these "doors", different versions of our original characters stepped out of their universes and into our own. When the comet disappears, realty will achieve "coherence" and "collapse" back into "one single reality". It is therefore important that all doppelgangers are returned to their own worlds.

Stories about parallel universes are common in science-fiction. What "Coherence" does differently is present characters who harbour an intense hatred for their duplicates, triplicates and quadruplicates. Almost every character in "Coherence" despises their world, despises their life, despises their friends and is intensely jealous of the greener pastures upon which they believe their "alternative versions" are living. "Coherence" thus climaxes with several characters plotting against their namesakes and scheming to escape to an alternative universe.

"Coherence" works best as a horror movie. Its middle sections are creepy, surreal, and make good use of low lighting, grainy film stock and naturalistic, improvised dialogue. During these portions, the film evokes Lovecraft, Lynch and Kafka, and conveys well the horror of a kind of quotidian breakdown. It offers what many deem the highest form of horror: the horror of reality itself being disrupted by something unimaginable, unnatural and inexplicable.

Except "Coherence" goes to great lengths to be explicable. To its detriment, the film's final portions hammer home its themes, symbols and metaphors. What was once creepy and disturbing, thus morphs into a very heavy-handed and ultimately trite melodrama about regret.

Directed by Charlie McDowell, "The One I love" (2014) approach's "Coherence's" story from a slightly different angle. Its opening scenes introduce us to Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Elisabeth Moss), a husband and wife who spend several days holidaying at a secluded estate. At this estate the couple encounter duplicates of themselves. Like in "Coherence", these duplicates offer idealised versions of "reality". They're cooler, smarter, sexier and conform to various appealing masculine and feminine stereotypes.

As the film progresses, Sophie and Ethan begin to fall in love with the duplicates of their spouses. Like the heroes of "Coherence", they reject their old lives in favour for "new lives" with "better copies". These idealised versions are docile, responsive and willingly cater to every physical and emotional need. In a sense, they are one dimensional robots, completely without desires, flaws or foibles of their own. They're clean. Sanitized. Appealing.

Of course it takes a brave film to advocate trading your spouse for a slavish love-bot, and so Sophie and Ethan eventually reject the doppelgangers; the messy realities and irrationalities of animal relations are ultimately too appealing for our couple.

"The One I Love" isn't as creepy or as unnerving as "Coherence". Where "Coherence" is dark and claustrophobic, "Love" is bright, sleek and spacious. Where "Coherence" adopts horror movie codes, "Love" is primarily a comedy-drama with slight horror elements. Original and well-written, both use science-fiction conventions to delve into the nature of desire and regret, their characters all pining for pastures never met.

8.5/10 – See "The Centre of the World" (2001).

Good Concept. Needed more elaboration

[loveglow101 · 7/10 · 20 May 2022]

I enjoyed the movie. It kept my attention which is not easily done. I enjoyed the story and the acting was right where it needed to be. My only gripe is this is one where you'll be asking "But why tho". Other than that, it's a solid watch.

"Why not" kind of flick

[gregkae · 7/10 · 24 March 2019]

Relationship drama in an unsuspecting setting with a sort of futuristic twist leaves a lot to be desired but is so well acted, filmed and thought out that it makes you stay till the very end, even though it is really drawn out and stretched to the max like a pair of old sheer tights over a fat leg. One can argue that certain ideas and scenes could have been given more screen time and/or dedication but hey-ho, I'm not gonna cry myself to sleep.

The problem is that you have to sit through and watch until it reaches its conclusion even when you're compelled to leave or take a quick nap because permanent threat of boredom always looming, always quietly creeping up, so yeah, it's difficult to judge.

Having said that, props for some original movie making. Can be seen but should it be? Not sure if you'll be missing out if not. It is quite surprising, it does a few turns along the way, so if you have spare 90 minutes to kill..

Who awaits in the guesthouse?

[jkbonner1 · 7/10 · 13 September 2014]

At the beginning we see Ethan (Mark Duplass) and Sophie (Kate Moss) in a session with their marriage therapist (Ted Danson). They fell in love instantly but after several years the marriage has soured. Each tries in their own way to get it going again, but to no avail. The marriage has lost its magic. The therapist knows just the place for them to spend a weekend at. He assures them they won't be disappointed. It's a great place to reconnect, and so off they go, driving along country roads to reach their destination. Nothing strange about this. They arrive at the ample-sized, well-appointed house and settle in, desperately trying to reconnect again.

The grounds are lush and beautiful with vegetation and flowers in bloom, and they can see mountains nearby. There is a large gorgeous pool. It's an idyllic spot. Perfect for trying to restore a flagging marriage.

Ethan goes out to explore the grounds. Wandering around, he discovers a guesthouse. He enters. To his surprise he finds Sophie there. She has made him breakfast. Even more surprised, he notes she has made him bacon (which he loves) in spite of the fact she doesn't like its smell. Soon they are making passionate love. She tells him she wants to stay in the guesthouse a while, and so he returns to the main house. When he enters, he discovers Sophie. Surprised that she had beat him back to the main house, he soon learns she knows nothing about the guesthouse, making breakfast for him, or making love with him. Ethan is dumbfounded.

With this introduction things grow progressively weirder. Sophie hears Ethan's story and decides she wants to venture into the guesthouse to see what she finds. There she meets Ethan. But this Ethan isn't quite the same Ethan she left behind in the main house. This Ethan has all the qualities she finds lacking in her Ethan: funny, at ease with himself, sexy. And in addition this Ethan doesn't wear glasses, while her Ethan always does.

The glasses-wearing Ethan takes Sophie to a diner in town where they discuss what they've experienced. They both try to get a hold on what's going on, with Ethan more insistent they should leave immediately. But Sophie talks him into staying. They could just go along with the flow and see what comes of it. What's the harm in that, she implies. Soon Ethan and Sophie are venturing separately into the guesthouse, each to meet their spouse's doppelgänger.

Slowly, inexorably, Sophie falls in love with Ethan 2. Ethan has a good time with Sophie 2. She's a lot of fun, but he's convinced both she and Ethan 2 are just inexplicable figments of his imagination or even possibly creatures from another dimension. Unexpectedly Ethan and Sophie find Ethan 2 and Sophie 2 in the living room of the main house. They all four have dinner together. Ethan stills tries to make rational sense of what's happening, and he and Sophie learn that Ethan 2 and Sophie 2 are trapped on the estate. They can only escape this fate if Ethan falls in love with Sophie 2 and Sophie falls in love with Ethan 2.

In the guesthouse Ethan stumbles on their therapist's computer and finds his files. He discovers that Ethan 2 and Sophie 2 had to learn their roles. He wants now more than ever to leave with Sophie and flee this bizarre estate as soon as possible. Sophie is the woman he married and he must leave with her. Their doppelgängers must stay behind. But Sophie insists she's staying. Sophie's also given a blue jacket like the one's she wearing to Sophie 2. So in addition not only do they physically look identical, they are dressed identical.

The kicker comes when Sophie 2 tells Ethan things aren't going as planned because Ethan 2 has fallen in love with Sophie (it wasn't supposed to happen that way). Ethan 2 tries to run away but hits an invisible barrier that either kills him or knocks him unconscious (I couldn't tell). Both Sophies surround his supine body. Only one of them must accompany Ethan. One is dejected; one smiles coyly at him. He escapes with the Sophie that has smiled at him, leaving behind Ethan 2 and the other Sophie at the estate. Getting back in town, he immediately goes to the therapist's office to seek out the truth. But the office is totally deserted, as though the therapist had never existed. We learn at the end which Sophie Ethan chose through a subtle clue. But the story holds true to its title: both Ethan and Sophie get the one they love.

Although the movie's title suggests a nice snug romance, it is in reality a strange form of science fiction. It moves along okay and mostly keeps the intrigue up, but it never pushes much at what's happening at a deeper level. And it certainly had the potential to do so. It leaves open different interpretations although clues are given. Earlier this year I saw a movie titled Enemy that also involved a doppelgänger situation. It too skirted the issue of what the deeper meaning was, although again clues were given for those who like to scratch their heads.

Personally I would very much have liked it if The One I Love had followed the weirdness it intimated at further than it did into the realm of true spookiness like another sci-fi I saw recently: Under the Skin. The actors were certainly capable of pulling it off. Perhaps the director didn't want to deviate too much from the quasi-romantic script. But delving deeper into the sci-fi angle would have really bent the genre.

In short it could have been a lot more gripping, but if you like off-beat movies with brain-twisters, this one is definitely worthwhile.

7/10

WAAAY more cynical than it seems

[charmadu · 8/10 · 1 September 2014]

This is a film that totally sneaks up on you. It starts out as a boring, straight, white, well-off couple goes off to "refresh" their troubled marriage at an idyllic California-looking private retreat. In the end they each willingly choose a Fantasy Image of their partners over their real partner. For Sophie that means choosing a Fantasy Ethan who appears on the surface to be more attentive to her and for Ethan, that means choosing a Fantasy Sophie - a bona fide Stepford who will go along with whatever/whenever/however he wants. The Real Ethan is so clueless, he can not even distinguish between the Fantasy Sophie and his own wife. But of course, it's the real Sophie who gets the short end of the stick - there is no reason to think she won't be betrayed (again)by the Fantasy Ethan (who has betrayed the Fantasy Sophie) in the future and now it is she who is trapped in the Guest House.

Premise interrupted

[nancyldraper · 6/10 · 27 June 2019]

An interesting premise, or was it? To my mind, it had the beginning of a unique premise but they didn't work out the how the the premise worked. It didn't have an internal logic. SciFi films don't have to be real but they do have to build (and then be faithful to) an internal structure, which I don't think this did. And, the final twist was entirely predictable. The beginning was boring and poorly written. I thought there was little chemistry between Sophie and Ethan. But the middle was interesting. Not resolving the premise was the problem for me. So, poor beginning, predictable ending without resolving the underlying mystery - I give this film a 6 (fair) out of 10. {SciFi Mystery}

Not what I expected... it was better!

[richard_robinson_8 · 10/10 · 9 August 2014]

This is listed on our cable service as a romantic comedy. It's not, it's better than that.

I agree with other reviewers that the less you know about it the better. It has what all great movies have - it makes you, no, it actually lets, you think about yourself, other people, and emotional situations in new and different ways.

Hard to believe you can get all that out of a such a small cast and such limited locations. Many thanks to the writer, the director, and the editor. Please, does anyone know where this was filmed??

Give this movie a watch and you'll see.

Fun concept... for a Twilight Zone episode.

[vithiet · 6/10 · 2 December 2020]

It does get some for a good performance from Elizabeth Moss. The writing is also pretty well done, though this could have totally been a shorter Twilight Zone episode; it tends to drag on a bit after a while. It's not bad at all but ultimately feels a bit unsatisfying as we don't quite get the point (at least I didn't).

O yeah .. a twilight zone tribute...

[canuckteach · 8/10 · 26 February 2021]

Ted Danson is a shrink who sends a troubled couple (Sophie & Ethan) to a weekend getaway that, he assures them, will help them resolve their marital problems. At first, one of the couple manifest better relationship skills, while the other reverts to form. Then visa versa. What can be happening?

Those of us who grew up watching TWILIGHT ZONE 60 years ago would recognize the dramatic 'device' unfolding. This is an excellent take on that premise, with more time for twists/turns in a full-length movie. Some unneeded bad language & a couple of make-out scenes. Sorry- no spoilers here. Enjoy. 8/10

surrealism in the one i love

[emilyelizabeth1283 · 7/10 · 26 August 2014]

The One I Love (2014), written by Justin Lader and directed by Charlie McDowell, brings something new to the table involving relationship dissection, and ironically echoes another movie I've recently written about in the I Just Saw… section, Coherence (2013). Both deal with characters in rocky relationships who are forced to make bold moves when confronted with themselves, in a quite literal sense.

Time passes and people change. But it is a complex move. Not everything about a person changes, or at the same pace, and that which you think has changed can sometimes hit you in the face with the truth that it hasn't changed in the slightest. Sometimes the memory of who we were years ago haunts us, in good ways and in bad. At some point we long for some aspect of ourselves lost, and at others we try to hide all memory or our former selves forever. But this is all written with only the subjective experience in mind. When you throw in the precarious balance of two people in a relationship, the reality of past and present become all the more dramatic, especially when the reality looks different to each half a couple.

The One I Love takes this dance to a new level and gives it a twist. After deciding to take a little holiday together to try and recapture the fire in their relationship, Sophie and Ethan, (played by Elisabeth Moss and Mark Duplass), literally become two pairs as each of them faces an exact copy of their lovers, but whom oddly seem to encompass most of the good and nearly none of the "flawed" aspects of each character. The result is a brutal reminder of the changes one goes through guided by the choices one makes along the way. When Sophie starts falling in love (back in love?) with Ethan's double, he becomes jealous of…himself! It is a fascinating and inventive look at a relationship like I've never seen before.

The opening of the film views like a documentary, filled with subtle humorous lines so dry that they could almost make it past were it not for their honesty. The movie is filled with static shots that concern themselves only with capturing the moving present, but as this effect makes sense in the beginning, the effect moves the movie further and further into the surreal realm as the minutes go by. It is a smooth, clever transition, intersecting the point at which a million questions rise up in the viewer's mind about what the heck is happening in that house. The focus moves cleverly from a typical relationship drama to something more as the plot moves toward the supernatural, but this happens without ever losing the viewer to that supernatural aspect; by the time weird stuff starts to happen we are invested in the characters and rooting for their relationship.

When the couple first realize that somehow their doubles have been conjured, only appearing when the original is out of the room, they get freaked out and start to run away. It is Sophie's insistence that this little adventure could be just what they need to get their relationship back on track that convinces them to return and explore the phenomenon a bit further.

They come up with some ground rules before engaging in taking turns with their respective spouse's duplicate: They will not have sex with them, and they will be completely honest about their experiences. They agree. But things don't go exactly as planned.

The observations I made here and throughout the rest of the movie ranged from the very simple to incredibly involved. One of the most intriguing aspects of the characterizations is that neither of them looks at their duplicate as an impetus to become better people and recapture the positive things they may have lost over the years since the two first met. Instead, they each give in to jealousy and insecurity for which each of them dearly pays in their own ways. And I feel that it is this twist that puts the movie more along the line of romantic comedy…and nothing more complicated. If the two were to dive in to the observation of themselves with more awareness perhaps the movie would have broached such thought-territory as expressed in films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). As it stands, though, I enjoyed the movie very much and it is one of the most creative and clever story lines I've seen in a while. http://funkyforestfirstcontact.wordpress.com/

Works for about 45 minutes, but can't sustain a feature running time

[TheMarwood · 5/10 · 20 October 2014]

The One I Love isn't the easiest film to review without giving too much away, so I'll be brief with the details. A couple who are coming apart at the seams, are given a getaway destination by their therapist to heal their relationship and rekindle their passion for one another -- but this is no ordinary destination. In what would be a great short film or half hour TV slot, this runs completely out of steam by the 45 minute mark and drags its repetitive corpse with its thin narrative threads to the feature finish line. It tries to deconstruct a failing relationship with a clever gimmick, but has nowhere to go but in circles and just becomes obnoxious. This feels more like a filmmaking exercise than an actual film and Moss and Duplass don't feel believable as a couple - there's little content for them to work with and they can't outwit a gimmick that has nowhere to go.