Image courtesy of www.impawards.com
Director :
Bart Freundlich
Cast :
David Duchovny……….Tom
Julianne Moore……….Rebecca
Billy Crudup……….Tobey
Maggie Gyllenhaal……….Elaine
Some concepts are great on paper but poor in execution, like the 1976 remake of King Kong and whomever thought that giving John Travolta $100 million to make a film about Scientology. Others are just in the wrong medium to begin with, which is the one thing that stands out most about Trust the Man. It feels better suited to be developed as a TV series on Showtime, with the ability to develop characters over a longer time, than as a two hour drama on the big screen.
Trust the Man focuses on two couples going through major changes in their lives. Tom (David Duchovny) is married to a relatively famous actress, Rebecca (Julianne Moore), and is lost trying to find himself after having left the corporate world for life as a house husband. They’re married with two kids, a mortgage, et al. Rebecca’s brother Tobey (Billy Crudup) is a freelance writer married to wannabe children’s author Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal), living together in unwedded bliss. Elaine doubles as Rebecca’s best friend and wants her life of wedding bells and children much to Tobey’s chagrin. Complications arise when Tom’s sex drive doesn’t match up with Rebecca’s, causing him to stray, and Tobey’s refusal to get married and have children drives a wedge between him and Elaine.
And on paper it’s a great concept for a film, as we get to see both couples interact with each other as they go through their respective dramas. But the problem is that there is so much material for the couples to work with that two hours doesn’t seem long enough. It seems more like a great concept, “Seinfeld” meets “Sex in the City,” but the roughly two hour running time isn’t nearly long enough for the amount of material that could’ve been provided. There’s plenty of material and subplots going throughout the film that a one time airing doesn’t give a satisfactory conclusion to the proceedings.
It’s not as if there aren’t good performances to be found. Duchovny is in another good role as an everyman looking to find his way, moving past the “X-Files” stigma he’s had for so long. Moore is her usual strong self, Crudup gives Tobey a uniquely neurotic personality and Gyllenhaal is pleasantly surprising as a woman who wants to take the next step in her relationship. These are great characters and the actors are all good with the roles; they have a good chemistry together and the situations are believable. It’s just there’s so much more room to move then is actually used.
Director Bart Freundlich has crafted a well-placed story, it’s just that the players deserve more than the short time they have to be able to craft a story. Over 13 episodes this would be a terrific mini-series or the beginnings of a good television show. As it is it’s a glimpse into a world that deserves a much longer look. Freundlich has a film that has the feeling of a television series in its scope and camerawork, which takes a lot away from how good the film could’ve been.
