Disappointingly there was very little character development. It's a tedious and drawn-out study in misery and in how not to lead life. The couple, and some of the friends, are needy and obnoxious people who grasp onto others like drowning people clinging onto drifting bits of debris, who then make a grab for the next bit of drift wood coming their way. The entire movie was a veeery slow moving train wreck. Jake coming back into the house with the extremely noisy children at the end left one feeling, here we go again, starting the emotional roller-coaster that will just lead to more heartache. Waste of good actors, but Bancroft and Mason did their best. I guess the subject matter was considered controversial at the time.
Review of The Pumpkin Eater
