Soapy But What's The Point: Married Life

Married Life
Directed by Ira Sachs
Released March 7, 2008

Hearing that Chris Cooper is starring in a movie really ups my excitement level, and then hearing that Pierce Brosnan is co-starring brings it back down again. Luckily, Cooper has more screen time and does his very best to fit into the part of a two-timing but well-intentioned 1940s husband. His immersion into the role seems almost effortless, but that is mostly a testament to his acting skill. Brosnan smirks and saunters his way througgh the film as the ethically undecided ladies man/best friend to Cooper's character. The time is well-captured with the set pieces, but the pace of the film and its relative lack of any satisfying or surprising resolution is a letdown. There are absolutely some fantastically memorable scenes, most notably the superb introduction of Rachel McAdams' character. McAdams will someday be a great actress, but she needs better roles than this to get there. Patricia Clarkson gives a decent performance, but like Cooper, it feels like she is really not trying too hard. The music here is fantastic and will stick with me for a while. The film, on the other hand, will not.

C+