Written by John Shea
As the film opens, Leonard walks despondently down a pier before finally climbing over the rail and throwing himself into the ocean. At the last second he thinks better of this decision and kicks to the surface, to trudge home cold and wet. There we meet his parents, who are deeply worried about their son. Their concern tends to come across comically. He catches his mom trying to peer under his bedroom door and later hears them talking about him just outside his door, seemingly oblivious to the idea of sound carrying. But this makes his parents rather endearing to watch. There is no guile or subtlety to their love and concern for Leonard. It is just completely out there for him to accept and be comforted by. He mostly doesn't though.
We learn that he's on medication for bipolar disorder and that he recently suffered through a breakup with his fiance. So he's not the most stable of guys. But he has charm to spare and when the mood strikes he can win the heart of most any young lady he fancies. On cue he is introduced to Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), whose parents are buying the dry cleaning business Leonard's parents own. She's not shy about letting him know she's interested in him. It seems like a pretty good thing, she's gorgeous and crazy for him. But then Leonard meets his neighbor Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), whose a bit glamorous and more than a little neurotic.
Leonard seems to prefer chasing after the hard to obtain woman who is almost guaranteed to drive him mad and break his heart. Michelle is full of surprises, none of which really favor Leonard. Worse, she is fond of taking advantage of his good nature for help and support. At this point, the audience is no doubt wondering why he puts himself through this when a far simpler option exists. While they dress Shaw down, there's no denying her beauty. So the idea of Paltrow as the somehow sexier option makes little sense.
The truth has more to do with Leonard's nature. He's the sort who seems to enjoy a bit of chaos. He works dutifully for his father but clearly doesn't enjoy it. He'd rather be a photographer and live a more free wheeling existence. Sandra seems to mean being like his parents, whereas Michelle seems more like freedom.
This is a love story that is thoroughly engaging and entertaining. This is easily my favorite performance from Phoenix. He makes Leonard into a fascinating and complex character with an affably goofy charm. Very quickly I find myself rooting for Leonard to succeed in love and life, mentally nudging him along through out the film. I think Michelle is nothing but trouble and try to push him towards Sandra, but Leonard is not the sort of character to be driven where he doesn't want to go (and of course he can't really hear me). He has to to make his own mistakes and learn from them or just blithely crash forward regardless of the consequences.
Grey provides a bit of a visual feast here. He uses New York City very well to add character and consistently finds the most interesting way to frame every shot, using the lay of the land to focus our attention where he wants it. The way he uses the camera fits with the way he frames the story. It's not the usual Hollywood romance with a predictable trajectory and ending. It has beauty and ugliness. It isn't all cheery sunshine. The same can be said for Leonard's life. Parts are great and parts are torture. How he works through that is what makes this a pleasure to watch.
Tuesday, 21 October 2008 02:12
Closing out the 2008 FilmColumbia festival was James Grey's latest film, Two Lovers. It star Joaquin Phoenix as Leonard, an emotionally unstable young man trying to take some control of his life. As the film opens, Leonard walks despondently down a pier before finally climbing over the rail and throwing himself into the ocean. At the last second he thinks better of this decision and kicks to the surface, to trudge home cold and wet. There we meet his parents, who are deeply worried about their son. Their concern tends to come across comically. He catches his mom trying to peer under his bedroom door and later hears them talking about him just outside his door, seemingly oblivious to the idea of sound carrying. But this makes his parents rather endearing to watch. There is no guile or subtlety to their love and concern for Leonard. It is just completely out there for him to accept and be comforted by. He mostly doesn't though.We learn that he's on medication for bipolar disorder and that he recently suffered through a breakup with his fiance. So he's not the most stable of guys. But he has charm to spare and when the mood strikes he can win the heart of most any young lady he fancies. On cue he is introduced to Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), whose parents are buying the dry cleaning business Leonard's parents own. She's not shy about letting him know she's interested in him. It seems like a pretty good thing, she's gorgeous and crazy for him. But then Leonard meets his neighbor Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), whose a bit glamorous and more than a little neurotic.
Leonard seems to prefer chasing after the hard to obtain woman who is almost guaranteed to drive him mad and break his heart. Michelle is full of surprises, none of which really favor Leonard. Worse, she is fond of taking advantage of his good nature for help and support. At this point, the audience is no doubt wondering why he puts himself through this when a far simpler option exists. While they dress Shaw down, there's no denying her beauty. So the idea of Paltrow as the somehow sexier option makes little sense.
The truth has more to do with Leonard's nature. He's the sort who seems to enjoy a bit of chaos. He works dutifully for his father but clearly doesn't enjoy it. He'd rather be a photographer and live a more free wheeling existence. Sandra seems to mean being like his parents, whereas Michelle seems more like freedom.
This is a love story that is thoroughly engaging and entertaining. This is easily my favorite performance from Phoenix. He makes Leonard into a fascinating and complex character with an affably goofy charm. Very quickly I find myself rooting for Leonard to succeed in love and life, mentally nudging him along through out the film. I think Michelle is nothing but trouble and try to push him towards Sandra, but Leonard is not the sort of character to be driven where he doesn't want to go (and of course he can't really hear me). He has to to make his own mistakes and learn from them or just blithely crash forward regardless of the consequences.
Grey provides a bit of a visual feast here. He uses New York City very well to add character and consistently finds the most interesting way to frame every shot, using the lay of the land to focus our attention where he wants it. The way he uses the camera fits with the way he frames the story. It's not the usual Hollywood romance with a predictable trajectory and ending. It has beauty and ugliness. It isn't all cheery sunshine. The same can be said for Leonard's life. Parts are great and parts are torture. How he works through that is what makes this a pleasure to watch.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 21 October 2008 02:22
