Forgotten Film Friday: Private Life

A retrospective by Brooks Rich

Middle aged childless couple Richard and Rachel are desperate to have a child. They have exhausted every option it seems, fertilization treatment, adoption, everything. In a last desperate effort they ask their niece to be an egg donor, which she immediately agrees to.

Writer director Tamara Jenkins is someone I don't think gets her fair shake. I find honesty in her films. Her slice of life stories feel real, with the perfect blend of comedy, drama, and a little bit of cringe. Much like real life. I'm a big fan of her previous films Slums of Beverly Hills and The Savages. Seek out both especially The Savages. It has the immortal Phillip Seymour Hoffman in it. But I think Private Life is Jenkins best film so far.

Paul Giamatti and Kathryn Hahn are fantastic in this. Hahn gives the performance of her career in this. She is astonishing as Rachel, showing the vulnerability sorrow, hope, and anger that comes with the situation. Jenkins is great at writing real characters and Rachel and Richard are no different. Even the mother of their niece, a fantastic Molly Shannon, is believable in her antagonistic behavior. Yeah we ca see where she is coming from.

So a slight spoiler ahead. Well ok big one. So see the movie if you care. It's on Netflix. But I really want to talk about this one aspect of the movie but I have to spoil it. So stop reading if you care. Last chance. Stop. Spoiler alert.

I like how things don't really work out. Life doesn't always work in our favor and a good movie will reflect that. There is hope in the end but the movie doesn't hand a happy ending over to Richard and Rachel. I really like that. A good bittersweet ending is better than a happy one sometimes. Private Life ends exactly as it should.

Comments

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...

Oscar Bait month: The Shipping News

A retrospective by Brooks Rich Lasse Hallstrom is one of those directors I think is incredibly talented but his films normally don't do a thing for me. There just always that comes up short for me, whether its the story or how its shot or the acting or something. Most people will know Hallstrom as the director of What's Eating Gilbert Grape, the breakout role of Leonardo Dicaprio. That is probably my favorite of his films. I know everyone loves Chocolat. Great, enjoy, I think it's lame. But today let's discuss his follow up to The Cider House Rules, his film from 1999 which did very well come awards season, and Chocolat. Both of these films did very well, especially The Cider House Rules. The big reward it got was Best Supporting Actor for Michael Caine. It also won Best Adapted Screenplay for John Irving. This isn't fair to Cider House Rules but I think it's overrated as far as nominations go. 1999 is one of the greatest years in cinema and really? We nominate...

John Travolta month: Saturday Night Fever

A retrospective by Brooks Rich So this was not the big start of John Travolta's career. That would be the classic sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. But this did elevate Travolta to another level. For any of you going oh come on. This silly movie with a disco soundtrack? Come on, Brooks. Just wait. Have you ever actually seen this? This isn't about disco. Disco just happens to be the music of choice. This about the kind of people who are kings at the dance clubs and then losers the rest of the time. There is a lot of darkness and truth in this film. So if you've never seen it please. Do yourself a flavor and check it out. Just watch it and then come back to read this. This is a movie about the different types of people we become between our real lives and our weekend lives. Tony Manero is a regular working class guy in a Brooklyn neighborhood, struggling to make ends meet and dealing with his loving but at times overbearing family. He lives in the shadow of his priest brother. ...

Cinema Basement

Search This Blog