It will make you blue…
The H-Bomb: Years ago, Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) were two soul mates crazy in love. They met the way a lot of people do (I guess), with a simple glance across a hallway. He’s laid back, goofy, compulsive, and, in a way, romantic. Not a particularly ambitious fellow, he‘s happy enough just going along and getting along. She’s sweet, quiet, and dreams of becoming a doctor. She sees how unhappy her parents are, and hopes to never end up that way herself (honey, have I got bad news for you). After a modest but sweet courtship, Cindy winds up pregnant, and Dean stands by her.
Jumping ahead to the present, all the passion has drained from their relationship and the marriage is on its last legs. He’s still a laid back goofball, only now he’s at an age where that’s no longer endearing. He now has a beer gut, a receding hairline, and a job that allows him to start drinking at 8:00 AM. She works as a nurse and is what you could call the “responsible one” in the relationship. She is no longer charmed by her husband’s adolescent demeanor, and her pent up frustration with him is about to boil over. It doesn’t help that her doctor boss is putting the moves on her at work. Dean and Cindy’s once joyous union is in a rapid downward spiral, and it’s only their young daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka) that keeps them together.
As a last ditch effort to save the marriage, Dean books a romantic getaway in a tacky hotel room with Cindy in the hope that it will rekindle the fire that used to exist between them. Drinks, sex… you know the drill. Question is, will it actually help them turn things around, or will it be the final death knell of a doomed relationship?
After viewing “Blue Valentine”, a question arose that I’ve been faced with a few times in my movie going life, “Can a film be considered good, even if I didn’t exactly enjoy it?” In this case, I can say the answer in an easy yes. “Blue Valentine” in one hell of a good movie, one that features two excellent lead performances, an evolving relationship that seemed perfectly believable, and emotions that, to this reviewer, at least, always rang true.
Director/co-writer Derek Cianfrance made us feel this deteriorating marriage by cutting back and forth between the miserable, bitter couple of the present day and the lovebirds’ budding romance in happier times. This non-linear style of storytelling does take some getting used to, but once the film gets rolling, it makes for a very effective compare and contrast.
But even more important than Cianfrance’s structural choices, was the trust he put in his two lead actors. This is yet another character piece where the film’s success or failure hinges on whether or not the right actor’s are cast, and in this case, the casting selection could not have been better. As I said, Gosling and Williams had great chemistry and I completely bought them as a couple. Despite how emotional things become at times, at no point did I feel like I was watching two actors acting, I felt like I was watching two people at a very difficult, painful time in their lives. Williams was put up for an Oscar earlier this year, and I think Gosling should have been nominated right beside her.
Everything about this film was solid and then some, so what did I mean when I said I didn’t exactly enjoy it? Well… who actually enjoys watching people fight and break up? I didn’t enjoy it in the same way I didn’t enjoy “Revolutionary Road”, another strong film about an unhappily married couple. Yes, it is well made, and it’s depiction of a failing marriage is very accurate, I’m sure (thank God I’ve never been married). But spending two hours with a couple who are probably better off divorced is not exactly my idea of entertainment.
I appreciate that this movie goes on where most romantic comedies end, in that when the two pretty people get together, they’re probably not going to live to be “happily ever after.” We see them fall in love, then follow them to the point where they’ve fallen out of love. Given the divorce rate in this country, it is pretty realistic. Serious relationships start out happy, but more often than we like to think, they don’t end that way. It’s definitely a bummer to be reminded of that, especially if you yourself have a significant other that you’re crazy about, and it’s not my idea of a fun time at the movies.
However, I will admit its artistic merits do outweigh the overall depressing nature, and I encourage those of you out there who can appreciate a more serious minded drama to check it out. In fact, the two great performances alone make this very much worth seeing, I just don’t recommend seeing it on date night.
