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9/01/2014

Love Is Strange (2014) - Great performances in roaming, should-have-been-better movie



Alfred Molina and John Lithgow on their way to their marriage ceremony on the poster for Ira Sachs's Love Is Strange

QUICK REVIEW:

Our protagonists here are an aging gay couple, who get married on a happy day, but then bumps their heads against the wall, as the younger of the two's Catholic employer is forced to fire him due to the marriage. - And, in short, life gets complicated.
Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2 (2004)) and John Lithgow (Obsession (1976)) really do seem to love each other in Love Is Strange and both give tremendous performances, - as does Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler (2008)), - and the film has beautiful periods. Unfortunately, it also seems to linger or hesitate some at several junctures. The script (by Mauricio Zacharias and director Ira Sachs, who also co-wrote his preceding film, the great Keep the Lights On (2012)) is pretty minimalistic and focuses a bit on this and a bit on that, and doesn't follow up on all of its detours.
And then SPOILER this slightly unfocused film ends in a surprising tragedy, - which effect on the remaining lead is oddly stifled, - and it isn't a satisfactory bow for the film.
Still, this is an at times moving and delicate little film from Memphis-born Ira Sachs (The Delta (1996)).
Love Is Strange has gotten a completely unmotivated R-rating (for 'language', which there's hardly any of, while for instance The Expendables 3 (full of violence, killing and 'language' gets a PG-13), proving that homosexual themes are still regarded as virally infective by the MPAA, the Stone Age fools...

 Watch the trailer here

Budget: Unknown
Box office: 2.2 mil. $

= Unknown

What do you think of Love Is Strange?
Have you seen other Ira Sachs-films and if so, how were they?

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