Release Date:
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Skinny: Shy, emotional minefield Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) moves back in with his parents in Brooklyn and finds himself torn between the mother-approved girl from the block (Vinessa Shaw) and the flaky blonde shikse who flits back and forth to Manhattan (Gwenyth Paltrow).
The Good: Rumored to be Phoenix's last movie before he starts opening for Ludacris or is found dead in a Chino homeless shelter, Two Lovers at least ushers him out in respectable fashion. Not a showy role by any means, but Phoenix is less "actory" in the role and really comes across natural and oddly likable as Leonard. The same is true of Paltrow. If ever a movie was a hard sell based on the public approval of the leads, it's this one. But both acquit themselves well. The story is hardly original, but it is engaging enough to keep you interested.
The Bad: Director James Grey's movies tend to be a tad…how can we put this? "Boring"? Yeah, we'll go with "boring" (see: The Yards or We Own the Night. Rather, don't). Two Lovers isn't a wam-bam thrillride, but it makes better use of Grey's obsession with sparse dialogue and quiet moments than his previous films. It demands patience and, well, you can't watch people shoulder roll away from explosions every night, can you?
Best Extra: Not extensive, but the deleted scenes prove that some cuts really change the whole face of a movie (let's just say Leonard could have gone from awkward to creepy very easily).
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: This is a good date night rental.
The Good: Rumored to be Phoenix's last movie before he starts opening for Ludacris or is found dead in a Chino homeless shelter, Two Lovers at least ushers him out in respectable fashion. Not a showy role by any means, but Phoenix is less "actory" in the role and really comes across natural and oddly likable as Leonard. The same is true of Paltrow. If ever a movie was a hard sell based on the public approval of the leads, it's this one. But both acquit themselves well. The story is hardly original, but it is engaging enough to keep you interested.
The Bad: Director James Grey's movies tend to be a tad…how can we put this? "Boring"? Yeah, we'll go with "boring" (see: The Yards or We Own the Night. Rather, don't). Two Lovers isn't a wam-bam thrillride, but it makes better use of Grey's obsession with sparse dialogue and quiet moments than his previous films. It demands patience and, well, you can't watch people shoulder roll away from explosions every night, can you?
Best Extra: Not extensive, but the deleted scenes prove that some cuts really change the whole face of a movie (let's just say Leonard could have gone from awkward to creepy very easily).
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: This is a good date night rental.