XX/XY
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Movie Reviews of XX/XY
Movie Review: The bad polyamory movie
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie is well acted and has an interesting story, but I keep wanting to slap the male character upside the head for being an idiot. I think of this as being the movie about how not to do polyamory. The characters are often not honest with themselves about how they feel, they use sex as a weapon against those they love and they often have hidden agendas that they refuse to reveal to the other participants in the relationship.
I'm left feeling at the end that nobody has really successfully communicated what they want to anybody else. There is a sort of strange "The Age of Innocence" style denouement in which everybody sort of settles for what's socially acceptable instead of trying for what they really want.
Movie Review: Flawed but Good
Summary: 3 Stars
This movie contains three solid actors, and a good premise of a story, but the pacing is off. It becomes slow in some places, and a certain side of the main character is not explored enough in the flashback. The direction is great for an indie - interesting shots, and the muted colors are used well, but the storytelling can be just as muted at times. Mark Ruffalo continues to prove himself to be one of the best actors of his generation. His performance alone is reason enough to see it.Movie Review: Fans of Petra Wright Will Enjoy It
Summary: 2 Stars
The first half of "XX/XY" is a labeled as a flashback to 1993, the second half is labeled a flash-forward a few years to the present. The transition between the two time periods is immediately proceeded by a confusingly contrived match cut from bedroom to subway. The subway scene is brief and unnecessary, a less than zero addition that must have looked like a good idea on paper. Unfortunately, once they staged it they felt compelled to use it.
Although "XX/XY" is told as a linear story, during post-production they realized that it was too choppy and confusing for straight viewing and elected to label the scene transitions with a lot of on-screen titles. Although viewers will thank them for this last-minute fix, it is like making an explicit admission of writer/director Austin Chick's limitations and/or pre-production laziness. The final cut gives the impression that it wasn't until the actual assembly of this film that Chick gave any thought to the sequence for many of the scenes.
The bleak colors, inadequate lighting, and bland production design are depressingly consistent with the tone of the story. Don't expect to find anything uplifting except the Taco ads and the advertising agency parody.
Those expecting a script on the intelligence level of "Closer" (a similar premise) will be disappointed despite decent performances from the entire cast. I initially watched from the perspective of a Kathleen Robertson fan and was disappointed with her quite ancillary position in the story relative to Mark Ruffalo and Maya Strange. Although promoted as the story of a "carefree threesome", Robertson's Thea is just a third wheel in the Coles (Ruffalo)-Sam (Stange) relationship. Chick briefly gives Robertson something to do as she breaks Sid (Kel O'Neill), a shy puppy dog boy who she teasingly sleeps with once. But he goes nowhere with this, apparently it is just there to insure viewers dislike all members of the threesome, not just the principal two.
If you can manage to tough it out for a while, things get much better in the second half. The "Gatsby" ending is actually very good. Mostly this is because each member of the threesome has paired up in monogamist relationships with very likable people. By this point Coles has become the principal character as Chick begins to explore the mysteries of male discontent. The Coles' characterization is hard to buy into, there is just too much inconsistency as Chick tries to make him both a wimp and a "stick it to the man" rebel (I assume that this inconsistency is supposed to be the whole point for the movie). Although Ruffalo can adequately play either character he cannot perform the impossible and weave these disparate traits into a believable person.
The second half shows Coles involved in a long-term relationship with Claire (Petra Wright). Once her character is introduced, Wright proceeds to steal the remainder of the film, not just because she is the film's first well-adjusted character (and arguably most talented performer), but because her part is written so much better than the others. Claire's scene on the pier is the film's best moment and the one thing here that you will want to go back and view multiple times.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Movie Review: 2.5 stars
Summary: 2 Stars
I wavered back and forth about how I felt with this movie. It didn't pick up until halfway through. The first half was spent on how this couple met back in 93. He picked his soon-to-be girlfriend up at a subway station, and from then on, it was the typical party/rave/college atmosphere at Sarah Lawrence University. Kathleen Robertson plays the friend of the girlfriend, and she didn't stretch much when it comes to characters, because she seems to always play the bad girl/always up for a threesome. (See her character in Splendor, by Gregg Araki) Anyway, one of them sleeps with someone else, then, basically, it becomes a contest on who can [anger] the other off more. Ten years later, they meet again, her single, him living with someone for 5 years. Oh what a tangled web, you can guess what happens. But, I will say, that I love the character, Claire, (the only characters name I can remember) which is the boyfriends live in girlfriend for 5 years. Apparently, he has to decide, and she plays someone that I wish all of the women in the world (including me) should be. Strong, independant, and not falling apart if your boyfriend has unsure feelings. Basically, the guy gets what he deserves a little bit, but still ends up lucky.
Movie Review: Rent it, don't buy it.
Summary: 2 Stars
Though I wouldn't say that anyone's performance in this film was grossly lacking, the movie itself definitely was. Mark Ruffalo gave a somewhat convincing performance, but the storyline itself seemed to be missing something the whole way along. Never once did the movie have the sense of real passion or drama that it was hyped up to be. Kathleen Robertson's character Thea, seemed the only three-dimensional character, even though she was admittedly shallow.
There is a scene about midway through the movie where a man recognizes Coles (Mark Ruffalo) on the street as being the director of a film. He tells Coles that he saw his movie... thoroughly disliked it, and wanted his money back. I found that whole scene amusing and ironic, as I would be likely to ask the same thing of the director of this movie.
If you really want to see this movie, rent it, don't buy it. It's not one that is worth watching more than once... if at all.