Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine:

I originally was going to see this movie the weekend it came out, but a certain lady friend of mine challenged my man credentials for wanting to see a ‘Chick Flick’, so I ended up not seeing it.  When Michelle Williams received the nomination for Best Supporting actress, I had to go see it for the sake of research.

Let me say that this was a conundrum for me as I can’t say this was a picture that I liked or would even recommend, but I was very impressed by the acting performances.  Let me correct that; I was extremely impressed by Ryan Gosling and was surprised that his co-star received the nomination as opposed to him.  Michelle Williams gave a good performance, but hardly Oscar worthy.  In fact, Ryan Gosling was nominated for the Golden Globe, but not the Oscar.  What’s up with that?

The Director, Derek Cianfrance, brings us a depressing and miring film about the failing of a marriage.  I will say the story telling is clever as he tells the story in the past and present simultaneously.  The past follows the courtship and the birth of the marriage and the present is 6 years into the marriage as it dissolves.  The courtship between Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) is very charming and even inspirational as ‘True Love’ wins out over all of their obstacles.  This feeling is crippled as it is overlaying the present where you see the crumbling of the marriage.  No matter what good feeling you have, it is muted by what you know is coming.

I will say the acting is top notch and Ryan Gosling takes it to the next level.  Ryan gained his moderate fame from the movie ‘The Notebook’.  He chooses roles that are not Hollywood mainstream.  If you ever want to see an impressive movie and performance that showcases his talent, I recommend “Lars and the Real Girl’.   He mirrors Johnny Depp’s choice of quirky roles in that way, but as good as he is, I don’t think he has Depp’s level of charisma that would ever take him to that level. Compare his performance to Michelle Williams who spends most of the film as just a teary eyed woman surviving the hardships of a low income life.  Whether past or present, she is more or less the same.  The true showcase is Ryan Gosling.  As Dean courts Cindy, he is poor but has an optimistic energy that he can conquer life.  He is a high school drop-out who works for a moving company, but knows that he will make something of himself someday.  After a chance encounter with Cindy, he falls hopelessly in love and pursues her, even though she is pregnant by another man.  Cindy realizes that the father of her child is not the right choice and she is eventually won over by Dean.  The ukulele serenade scene will charm even the most cynical anti-chick flick movie goer.

Again, whatever charm this movie does possess is taken away by the disintegration of the marriage that runs parallel to this story.  6 years later, Dean is a house painter who has trouble finding work.  He smokes and drinks non-stop and is haunted by a wife who feels unfulfilled by life and by him.  Despite all of Dean’s shortcomings, his love for his 6 year old ‘daughter’ (the girl doesn’t realize that Dean isn’t her father) is touching and she loves him back equally.  They have a playfulness between them that makes you smile.  As stated earlier, you really see no difference in Michelle’s appearance over the 6 years, which can sometimes be confusing when they jump between past and present, however the physical transformation of Dean over the 6 years is remarkably noticeable.  Ryan Gosling doesn’t play it over the top, but not only do you see a subtle physical difference, his whole persona is transformed.  The gravity and weight of the years wears down his youthful optimism and you can read the life weariness in his face and posture.  This is where true acting is required and delivered.

There are no good guys or bad guys here.  No one is right or wrong. No one is totally at fault or totally to blame.  This is just a depressing story of a low income couple trying to survive in an unfulfilling life.

Despite these impressive acting performances, I not sure what the purpose of this move was.  It felt like some Eastern European movie that was just a downer for the sake of being a downer.  I walked out feeling depressed without taking away anything substantial from the film.  It gives insight to nothing.  I would not recommend this movie to anyone

I will  rate it:  *

The only reason I won’t give it zero is due to the strong performances By Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams  (the nomination should have gone to Ryan).