TRUST THE MAN (2005)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
20/20 hindsight might dictate this frothy comedy-drama as a near-miss but it is surprisingly entertaining, enough to warrant a pleasant night of viewing, perhaps with a significant other. "Trust the Man" is perhaps negligible entertainment, a sort of Woody Allen-lite comedy on relationships, but it coasts by on its sense of humor and lightness.
Set in New York City, we focus on two modern couples, one that is married and the other that isn't. House-husband Tom (David Duchovny) is married to his actress-wife, Rebecca (Julianne Moore), who both have a seemingly super-duper marriage, until it is made clear that Tom desires frequent sex whereas Rebecca doesn't. They go to therapy only once a year, which may not help matters. The other couple is writer Tobey (Billy Crudup) and his girlfriend of seven years, a publishing house receptionist, Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who are not married because Tobey knows they are all going to die in the future so who cares. He also refuses to drive Elaine to work because his car is where he does his best writing, and he refuses to change parking spaces (Having once lived in New York amongst those that drive, I totally understand).
I suppose it is no surprise that these couples resolve their differences through infidelities. Before you can say "Manhattan" and any Woody Allen film since (the writer-director Bart Freundlich is a
fan), we get relatively little time devoted to what drives the men and women to have affairs. Rebecca has a fling with one of her fellow young actors at the theatre but it is treated with almost no emphasis
at all, except through a painful montage sequence that made me cringe. Tobey has a fling with an old college female buddy (Eva Mendes) that seems to have been left on the cutting room floor. And Tom's minor fling with a female parent who has lost her husband seems abrupt and half-baked. Elaine is the only character who had the courage to break up with her significant other.
fan), we get relatively little time devoted to what drives the men and women to have affairs. Rebecca has a fling with one of her fellow young actors at the theatre but it is treated with almost no emphasis
at all, except through a painful montage sequence that made me cringe. Tobey has a fling with an old college female buddy (Eva Mendes) that seems to have been left on the cutting room floor. And Tom's minor fling with a female parent who has lost her husband seems abrupt and half-baked. Elaine is the only character who had the courage to break up with her significant other.
Okay, so what does work in "Trust the Man"? For one, the four principal actors, which include Julianne Moore, David Duchovny, Billy Crudup and Maggie Gyllenhaal, are exceptionally good, vibrant actors
who keep you glued to the screen despite how undernourished some of their characters are. The writing is also occasionally smart and spot-on, with delicious zingers and one-liners. None of the dialogue feels rushed or forced, except for the rather inane ending at an opera house that feels less like the work of writer-director Bart Freundlich ("The Myth of the Fingerprints") and more like something a desperate, mediocre screenwriter might have concocted.
who keep you glued to the screen despite how undernourished some of their characters are. The writing is also occasionally smart and spot-on, with delicious zingers and one-liners. None of the dialogue feels rushed or forced, except for the rather inane ending at an opera house that feels less like the work of writer-director Bart Freundlich ("The Myth of the Fingerprints") and more like something a desperate, mediocre screenwriter might have concocted.
"Trust the Man" is uneven and truncated, but it has a breeziness and charm that almost makes it more captivating than it has any right to be. Many scenes register with truth and humor, and some do fall flat
when it opts for slapstick (punches to the lower male extremities never quite make me laugh). Still, for its rather rare sense of humor coming from the usually morose Freundlich, "Trust the Man"
occasionally works but it is nowhere near the level of what Woody Allen could attempt with these New Yorkers.
No comments:
Post a Comment