Reviews

After seeing this movie, I was prompted to write and comment, once again, about the roles that husbands are afforded in almost every movie w/ a love triangle. This film offers a stark illustration of this fact. For the sake of the story, we are asked to suspend disbelief and watch as every husband portrayed in the film, is cuckolded- & offers no instance of protest, or resistance. So let me get this straight- the " GOOD WIFE" in the film, is a lustful, amoral character- who presumably destroys her marriage to pursue a worthless cad. By itself, this isn't an unbelievable tale. My pet peeve however, is how the women's spouses are portrayed, in movies of this sort. The B. Brown character not only doesn't get angry, he offers his wife to his brother, excuses her behavior w/ the barman, and willingly, immediately, and w/out reservation, offers "instant forgiveness" to his cheating wife- another predictable staple for this character. The other husband in the movie who catches his wife w/ another man, reacts the same way. In other words, every husband is weak, ineffectual & too inadequate, to show anger, towards their straying wives! No, the women are all capable of destructive actions, but the husbands?- their reaction to these actions, is reserved, measured, & minimal at best. This character is essential to filmmakers, but is so prevalent, that it's becoming a cliché' within itself! The first film that actually offers a sympathetic, strong portrayal of a betrayed man, which by the way is the usual portrayal given to betrayed wives, will be a revelation. An actual male character who doesn't whine & weakly accepts his wife's cheating. One who decides that SHE is not worthy of him- would be a first! Instead we are faced w/ the same character- gutless, weak, no balls, and willing to accept any & all humiliations, for the sake of fantasy. By no means am I one of these right-wing, "defenders of families" freaks- but it's not hard to see that the portrayal of husbands in these movies, would give one pause. What reality are these filmmakers living in- & maybe, just once, they'll join ours!

Absolutely, w/out a doubt, one of the most pretentious, idiotic, formulaic, pieces of unadulterated garbage to come from Hollywood in years. This one has everything- the "sultry" Latin dance instructor, the slutty companion, the overbearing mother, and of course, the "confused" woman (A. Gish). As for the fiancé', he is portrayed as the ultimate jerk, idiot, asshole, etc. You are directed towards the conclusion, & inevitable question, "why was she with him in the first place?" This is typical Hollywood- Justify her amoral, cheating, low-life behavior by showing the man she's committed to, as a HUGE mistake! One that she has to dump, just to "find" herself. Be afraid, be very afraid!!!

The writing was amazing, but the premise was disturbing in the least. Just once in a movie like this, I'd love to see a thread of reality come into play. An example would be when Alan Alda's character reveals that his betrayed wife, Helen, found out about his adultery years earlier. To simply dismiss this monumental occurrence by simplistically explaining that she never mentioned, nor confronted him about it, was a little too convenient. This is the standard H'Wood formula. Heartbreaking details like betrayal, confrontation, guilt, remorse, character, etc. are NEVER addressed, since they might intrude with the story. When Helen Burynstien's (sp) character talks about the loyalty, and respect that she felt for her husband, I was moved to ask, how does having an affair for 20+ years behind your husband's back, signal respect? What a hypocrite! Better yet, no signal or acknowledgment, that what she and Alda's character are doing is WRONG. This storyline might have added to the tension, and realism of this movie. Typically, the characters are presented to be sympathetic, and we as the audience, are left to cheer for people & values that are detestable. Just once I would love to see a movie that addresses consequences, and doesn't look to glorify this kind of behavior. Unfortunately, since neither the characters, nor the story ever deals with the obvious "elephant in the room", this movie left me feeling empty!