Some movies can be adapted from stage-plays successfully, but this one is a good example that even if a play wins a Pulitzer, some stories need a stage.
I was pleased when I found this Kinnear/Quaid movie on the Sundance channel, but that didn't last long. Their acting is solid, but their characters are far too effeminate and unbelievable. This must have worked better on a stage, but it doesn't work in this movie. I don't need them to be tough macho guys, but during key conversations, these two straight men discuss life, marriage, and cheating in a manner that is wimpy and boring. The dialog, gestures, and comments like "If you were really my friend you would just listen", could all have been performed more believably by two women, two gay men, or one of each. When they discuss sex & needing even simple physical affection, Quaid pulls a pillow to his lap. Later, when Kinnear tells Quaid about great sex, Quaid's character asks whether they ever talk. These aren't believable men with wives and established families.
The sloppy production quality was distracting too: non-wet coat after coming in from a downpour, children who sleep through screaming arguments, bad hair-aging on Kinnear, and ... was that water in the beer bottles? Halfway through, the turmoil is side-tracked by a long 15-minute flashback which includes a bandaging device as a flimsy transition for two incompatible people to warm to each other.
Due to the weak men, two women who are often cold, snotty, and unlikeable, and several talking scenes that merely provide information without advancing the character arcs or plot ... I doubt that many people agree with the high rating it receives on IMDb.
I was pleased when I found this Kinnear/Quaid movie on the Sundance channel, but that didn't last long. Their acting is solid, but their characters are far too effeminate and unbelievable. This must have worked better on a stage, but it doesn't work in this movie. I don't need them to be tough macho guys, but during key conversations, these two straight men discuss life, marriage, and cheating in a manner that is wimpy and boring. The dialog, gestures, and comments like "If you were really my friend you would just listen", could all have been performed more believably by two women, two gay men, or one of each. When they discuss sex & needing even simple physical affection, Quaid pulls a pillow to his lap. Later, when Kinnear tells Quaid about great sex, Quaid's character asks whether they ever talk. These aren't believable men with wives and established families.
The sloppy production quality was distracting too: non-wet coat after coming in from a downpour, children who sleep through screaming arguments, bad hair-aging on Kinnear, and ... was that water in the beer bottles? Halfway through, the turmoil is side-tracked by a long 15-minute flashback which includes a bandaging device as a flimsy transition for two incompatible people to warm to each other.
Due to the weak men, two women who are often cold, snotty, and unlikeable, and several talking scenes that merely provide information without advancing the character arcs or plot ... I doubt that many people agree with the high rating it receives on IMDb.