Married Life – DVD Review

Film, Reviews

Available at Amazon.com

In the same year another James Bond film comes out with Daniel Craig as its star, seeing Pierce Brosnan’s career post-Bond is all the more interesting. After a main role in Mamma Mia! where he sang and danced, its interesting to see him bust out his acting chops in Married Life.

Harry (Chris Cooper) is a savvy investor who has inexplicably fallen in love with a widow, Kay (Rachel McAdams). When he tells his best friend Richard (Brosnan), who falls in love with her as well at first sight, it causes for a bit of a dilemma for Richard. He wants Kay to himself, but also wants his best friend to be happy. Harry’s also married to Pat (Patricia Clarkson) and feels a divorce would crush her. So he has a simple plan: kill her to save her the pain of a divorce.

And that’s where we meet all four of these people, who all bring in their own issues, as Harry tries to set his wife up for a quick and painless death while managing his life with his girlfriend. In the span of several days, the four find out a lot of secrets about one another that will alter what seemingly is a predestined path for all of them. It’s a film whose story is mildly interesting but whose acting makes it fascinating.

But the film isn’t really about its plot, which moves slowly for a 90 minute film. It’s about the characters, and Ira Sachs wisely lets his actors control the proceedings. When you have two Oscar winners (Clarkson and Cooper) and two veteran hands, Sachs has a first rate cast for what was a small independent release and lets them go to work. Using minimal camerawork and long takes, Sachs lets his cast dominate everything to the point where it seems as if he doesn’t have to do anything at all.

Married Life is a charming independent film that relies on its acting above all else to be a good, but not special, independent film.

Presented in a Dolby Digital surround in a widescreen format, the transfer looks terrific. This is a period piece with some solid scoring and the film, which didn’t have a huge budget, looks just as good as a major studio release.

A Commentary Track with Sachs is included.

Three Alternate Endings, with optional commentary from Sachs, are included as well. It’s interesting to see how Sachs could’ve ended the film, as opposed to how he actually did, which makes for an interesting discussion. Either of the endings could’ve plausibly ended the film.

The film’s Original Theatrical Trailer is included, as well as previews for The Band’s Visit, CJ7, 12, Persepolis, Kabluey, My Mom’s New Boyfriend, The Jane Austen Book Club, White Countess and The Valet.

It’s nice to find a good independent film in a year without a lot of them. Married Life is a nice, interesting independent film that’s more noteworthy for its actors than anything else.

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Sony presents Married Life. Directed by Ira Sachs. Starring Chris Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Patricia Clarkson, Rachel McAdams, David Wenham. Written by Ira Sachs & Oren Moverman, based on “Five Roundabouts to Heaven” by John Bingham. Running time: 90 minutes. Rated PG-13. Released on DVD: September 2, 2008. Available at Amazon.com.