So a guy whose marriage is on the rocks gets together with a girl who has just broken up with her fiancée after she catches him cheating. Yawn? Oh, wait, did I forget to mention that the guy David (Hugh Laurie) is twice as old as the girl Nina (Leighton Meester), who happens to be the daughter of David's best friend Terry (Oliver Platt), and that the two families live across the street from each other? And it gets better: David's daughter Vanessa (Alia Shawkat ) used to be best friends with Nina, and his son Toby (Adam Brodie) is romantically interested in Nina.
Now you have the premise of "The Oranges". But is this just another movie about naughty May-December relationships (of which the best-in-class is undoubtedly "The Graduate")? Not really. The relationship itself is basically a given. It happens quickly at the beginning of the movie, and is almost immediately discovered by Nina's meddling mother (Allison Janney). But rather than ending with this discovery, the film really begins here, exploring the conflicted views of society (or at least of American society) toward such relationships through the lens of the tragicomic reactions of the two families and a few friends. These reactions, which range from awkward to furious, form the heart of the warm, funny, and occasionally touching screenplay by Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss.
Some viewers may be dismayed by the moral neutrality of the film. But since when did an intimate relationship between consenting adults, one of whom happens to be unhappily married, require the Hollywood plot line to issue a strong moral condemnation? In general, not since the 1950's, but should there be an exception in this case? What about the May- December thing? And the other lives that were changed -- were they changed for better or worse?
Whatever you think about all the questions it raises, I hope you appreciate the spot-on performances by the entire cast, and that you find The Oranges to be as enjoyable and thought-provoking as I did.
Now you have the premise of "The Oranges". But is this just another movie about naughty May-December relationships (of which the best-in-class is undoubtedly "The Graduate")? Not really. The relationship itself is basically a given. It happens quickly at the beginning of the movie, and is almost immediately discovered by Nina's meddling mother (Allison Janney). But rather than ending with this discovery, the film really begins here, exploring the conflicted views of society (or at least of American society) toward such relationships through the lens of the tragicomic reactions of the two families and a few friends. These reactions, which range from awkward to furious, form the heart of the warm, funny, and occasionally touching screenplay by Ian Helfer and Jay Reiss.
Some viewers may be dismayed by the moral neutrality of the film. But since when did an intimate relationship between consenting adults, one of whom happens to be unhappily married, require the Hollywood plot line to issue a strong moral condemnation? In general, not since the 1950's, but should there be an exception in this case? What about the May- December thing? And the other lives that were changed -- were they changed for better or worse?
Whatever you think about all the questions it raises, I hope you appreciate the spot-on performances by the entire cast, and that you find The Oranges to be as enjoyable and thought-provoking as I did.