If you enjoy films like "War of the Roses", you should like this one.
Basically this is a love-triangle story about a man (Tim Hutton) whose planning on leaving his wife (Meg Ryan) of 14 years for a much younger woman (Kristin Bell). The wife doesn't respond well and much inappropriate behavior follows.
Not much depth is written into these people but Ryan and Hutton do a rather spectacular job with their roles anyway. Special notice should be given to Justin Long's cameo as a thug. He seems to relish his small 'against type-cast' role. Unfortunately, Kristin Bell bores us with her very two-dimensional performance.
The plot tidies itself up rather too quickly from this twisted story, but at least we're not left with an overly long film. And the first hour is one of the darkest hours of film I've ever seen--in a good way.
If you've seen Adrienne Shelly's (the writer) other film, "Waitress", you'll be familiar with the style of this film. "Waitress" is a more complete movie with much more depth. However, Cheryl Hines--who took over for Shelly after her untimely death--does a commendable job.
I'm saddened to realize this will be the last work we see from the mind of Adrienne Shelly. As it stands, it's not a bad way to be remembered. A writer/director who had a flair for gracefully exploring people's darkest emotions and desires.
And no, I'm not just saying this because I'm strapped to a toilet!
P.S. This film is not a date flick;)
