Rachel McAdams

Blu-Ray Review: Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck in Thriller ‘State of Play’

BrianTT — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:23:05 -0600

CHICAGO – I had some issues with “State of Play” in theaters, but it’s an intelligent thriller that is bound to find an audience on DVD and Blu-Ray and the Universal-produced Blu-Ray of the Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck film is an excellent one, the kind of release that can polish a good film and make it nearly great.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

The American “State of Play” is a truncated version of the far-superior BBC mini-series that starred Bill Nighy, David Morrissey, John Simm, Kelly Macdonald, and James MacAvoy. Directed by Kevin Macdonald and starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jason Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn, this version of “State of Play” stands pretty well on its own merits, especially on Blu-Ray, but it’s merely a shadow of its amazing source material.

State of Play was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 1st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Cramming so much material into one film has made for a movie that certainly wastes no time. “State of Play” is a jam-packed 128 minutes. It opens with scenes of a junkie and an innocent bystander getting shot in the nation’s capital and the separate death of a Congressman’s aide (Maria Thayer) by commuter train. The aide was not only working with U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Affleck) on his quest to take down a Halliburton-esque company but the two were sleeping together.

State of Play was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 1st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Washington Globe reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), who also happens to be old friends with Collins and in love with his wife (Robin Wright Penn), realizes that the drug/bystander shooting he’s investigating and the death of the politician’s girlfriend are related and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Rachel McAdams plays a young reporter who first butts heads with the more old-fashioned Cal but soon becomes partners as the case gets deeper and deeper. Helen Mirren plays their editor.

The best thing about “State of Play” is the cast. Director Macdonald proved he knows how to direct actors when he guided Forest Whitaker to an Oscar for “The Last King of Scotland” and everyone is good here. Crowe is in nearly every scene and it’s his best performance in some time. Mirren doesn’t quite make the impact that Nighy did in the original but that’s merely because of screen time. With perhaps the small exception of the slightly miscast McAdams, everyone in “State of Play” is good to great.

It took three talented writers - Matthew Michael Carnahan (“The Kingdom”), Tony Gilroy (“Duplicity”), & Billy Ray (“Shattered Glass”) - to take a six-hour mini-series and whittle it down to a two-hour film. Some of the choices, especially in the final act, simply don’t work for me. They take a mini-series that was about gray areas and makes it a bit too black and white for my tastes. The final act piles revelation on top of twist and it doesn’t feel organic. It feels rushed.

“State of Play” is about how the world of journalism and politics have become intertwined. The lines between good guys and bad guys and between the people who work in DC and the people who cover it are blurry at best. Crowe’s character becomes a bit too much of a white knight of journalism in the remake but it’s still a well-made, well-paced thriller. There’s a lot to like here, even if everyone who’s seen the original might say there could have been more.

The Blu-Ray release of “State of Play” is a beauty, another notch in the belt for arguably the best Blu-Ray studio in Hollywood, Universal. The standard Universal video and audio transfer is one of the absolute best and “State of Play” looks perfect with a 1080p High-Definition Widescreen transfer of a 2.35:1 picture and an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Special features on “State of Play” include deleted scenes and “The Making of State of Play”. U-Control features include the company’s great “Picture in Picture” technology that allows scene-specific information to play without breaking the film and “Washington, D.C. Locations” offers history insight into the nation’s capital. “State of Play” should have included a commentary track, but with so much action crammed into one movie maybe no one could keep up with talking about it.

‘State of Play’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels, and Helen Mirren. It was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray and directed by Kevin Macdonald. The Blu-Ray and DVD will be released on September 1st, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck Bring Spark to Mediocre ‘State of Play’

BrianTT — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:01:00 -0600

Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – I’ll be the first critic to tell you that they don’t make adult thrillers often enough. I was very disappointed by the lackluster box office take of Tony Gilroy’s ” Duplicity”. But does that mean that we should give all intellectual mysteries a pass? Of course not. And while I want to love Kevin Macdonald’s “State of Play,” a few poor decisions during production keep it back from being the excellent film it could have been.

It’s even easier to see where “State of Play” went wrong than with most so-so movies because we have the original, amazing BBC mini-series for comparison. Of course, Macdonald couldn’t be expected to duplicate what was accomplished in six hours with only two, but the decisions made in the truncation were not always the smartest ones. And, perhaps, someone should have considered that the lengthy original could never have been adequately condensed into two hours.

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “State of Play” in our reviews section.

Before you say that this version should be judged on its own, I can’t rewrite history and change the fact that I’ve seen (and adored) the original. I know what “State of Play” could have been. And many of the flaws of this version are amplified by their absence in the source material. Essentially, work that was “all grays” has, often by the necessity of length, had its shading removed and become purely black and white.

One thing can be said about “State of Play” for certain - it’s not slow. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s not boring but the actual plot moves at 100 miles per hour. Don’t show up late for this one.

‘State of Play’ stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Jason Bateman, and Robin Wright Penn. It was written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Tony Gilroy, and Billy Ray and directed by Kevin Macdonald. It opens on April 17th, 2009. It is rated PG-13.

Continuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “State of Play” review.

Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
Photo credit: Glen Wilson and Universal Pictures

Slideshow: 32-Image Gallery For ‘State of Play’ With Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck

BrianTT — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:18:22 -0600

CHICAGO – This 32-image slideshow contains the press images for Universal’s “State of Play,” starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren. Written by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Tony Gilroy and Billy Ray and directed by Kevin Macdonald, the film opens on Friday, April 17th, 2009.

Synopsis: “Oscar® winner Russell Crowe leads an all-star cast in a blistering thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in a case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders. Crowe plays D.C. reporter Cal McCaffrey, whose street smarts lead him to untangle a mystery of murder and collusion among some of the nation’s most promising political and corporate figures in State of Play, from acclaimed director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).

Handsome, unflappable U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is the future of his political party: an honorable appointee who serves as the chairman of a committee overseeing defense spending. All eyes are upon the rising star to be his party’s contender for the upcoming presidential race. Until his research assistant/mistress is brutally murdered and buried secrets come tumbling out.

McCaffrey has the dubious fortune of both an old friendship with Collins and a ruthless editor, Cameron (Oscar® winner Helen Mirren), who has assigned him to investigate. As he and partner Della (Rachel McAdams) try to uncover the killer’s identity, McCaffrey steps into a cover-up that threatens to shake the nation’s power structures. And in a town of spin-doctors and wealthy politicos, he will discover one truth: when billions are at stake, no one’s integrity, love or life is ever safe.”

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos credited to Glen Wilson and Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

state_of_play_01: Helen Mirren as newspaper editor Cameron Lynne.
state_of_play_02: Helen Mirren as newspaper editor Cameron Lynne and director Kevin Macdonald on the set.
state_of_play_03: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_04: Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) questions reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_05: (L to R) Reporter Della Frye (Rachel Mcadams) defends her progress to newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren).
state_of_play_06: Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye.
state_of_play_07: Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) questions reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_08: (L to R) Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey and director Kevin MacDonald on the set.
state_of_play_09: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_10: Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye.
state_of_play_11: Helen Mirren as newspaper editor Cameron Lynne.
state_of_play_12: Director Kevin MacDonald on the set.
state_of_play_13: Reporters Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) and Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_14: Reporters Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) and Della Frye (Rachel McAdams).
state_of_play_15: Anne Collins (Robin Wright Penn) and her husband, U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
state_of_play_16: (L to R) Ben Affleck as U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins and director Kevin MacDonald on the set.
state_of_play_17: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_18: (L to R) U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) and his wife, Anne (Robin Wright Penn), come to reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) for help.
state_of_play_19: (L to R) PR expert Dominic Foy (Jason Bateman) is grilled by reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_20: Jason Bateman as PR expert Dominic Foy.
state_of_play_21: Russell Crowe as reporter Cal McAffrey.
state_of_play_22: Anne Collins (Robin Wright Penn) comes to reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) for help.
state_of_play_23: Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye.
state_of_play_24: Director Kevin MacDonald and Rachel McAdams as reporter Della Frye on the set.
state_of_play_25: Ben Affleck as U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins.
state_of_play_26: Ben Affleck as U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins.
state_of_play_27: U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) gets advice from aide.
state_of_play_28: Robin Wright Penn as Anne Collins.
state_of_play_29: (L to R) D.C. reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) questions U.S. Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
state_of_play_30: (L to R) Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) and D.C. reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_31: (L to R) Senator George Fergus (Jeff Daniels) is interrogated by reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).
state_of_play_32: (L to R) Newspaper editor Cameron Lynne (Helen Mirren) demands answers from reporters Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) and Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe).

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

DVD Round Up, Feb. 3, 2009: ‘Cheers,’ ‘Lucky Ones,’ ‘RocknRolla,’ ‘The Gene Generation’

BrianTT — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 08:37:33 -0700

CHICAGO – Another week, another edition of HollywoodChicago.com’s legendary Round-Up. Any TV fans out there? Lovers of sci-fi action movies? Afficionados of Rachel McAdams? If you still like Guy Ritchie, raise your hand. Now, all of you, step up to the Round-Up.

“Cheers: The Final Season,” “The Gene Generation,” “The Lucky Ones,” and “RocknRolla” were all released on January 27th, 2009.

“Cheers: The Final Season”

Photo credit: Paramount

When people talk about shows going out at the top of their game, they inevitably turn to “Cheers” as a prime example of a series that knew when to turn off the lights and close the bar. Raise a glass to the final season with this amazing 28-episode set. In this season, Sam (Ted Danson) rebuilds the bar after Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) sets it on fire, Norm (George Wendt) gets audited, Cliff (John Ratzenberg) gets promoted, and Lilith leaves Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) in order to live in a biosphere. Woody (Woody Harrelson) runs for city council and Carla (Rhea Perlman) sees her daughter get married. Sam invites Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) back to Boston and pretends he’s married to Rebecca. “Cheers” is one of the best sitcoms in the history of the form and now fans can own all eleven seasons on DVD.

“Cheers: The Final Season” is presented in full frame with a 4:3 aspect ratio and spread out over four discs and nearly eleven hours of running time. Sadly, “Cheers” comes essentially free of special features, but each episode does include episodic promos.

“The Gene Generation”

Photo credit: Lionsgate

The front of the case for “The Gene Generation” features Bai Ling holding two guns and the phrase “The film that inspired “The DNA Hacker Chronicles” comic book series”. I’m sure that means something to someone but “The Gene Generation” clearly has a niche audience who will be excited to find it in the video store this weekend. Consider this your heads up. According to the case, Ling plays Michelle, a seductive young assassin who preys on corrupt DND hackers who must resuce her brother from Olympia’s seedy underworld as she fights for the survival of mankind in this futuristic thriller. The futuristic action movie won the Grand Jury Award at the San Francisco Independent Film Festival and features music by Combichrist. Once again, means something to someone.

“The Gene Generation” is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and comes with an English 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio track. The special features include a commentary with director pearry Teo and actors Bai Ling and Parry Shen, a commentary with direcotr Pearry Teo and producer Keith Collea, cast and crew interviews, storyboard to screen comparisons, visual effects and concept art, deleted scenes, “The DNA Hacker Chronicles - 1st edition digital comic book, Combichrist music video for “Get Your Body Beat,” and a trailer gallery.

“The Lucky Ones”

Photo credit: Lionsgate

Neil Burger, the director of “The Illusionist,” took a wrong turn with the road movie “The Lucky Ones” starring Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, and Michael Pena, but the film is a well-intentioned drama that is likely to find a curious audience on the home market if just for the strength of its cast. Pena stars as Sgt. T.K. Poole, a soldier in the Iraq War who suffers medical problems after a serious attack. He is granted one-month leave and ends up in the same airport as fellow soldiers Sgt. Fred Cheaver (Tim Robbins) and Pvt. Colee Dunn (Rachel McAdams) when a blackout forces the trio into a road trip. What begins as a short visit home turns into a poignant journey of self-discovery.

“The Lucky Ones” is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio with 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital audio tracks. The only special feature was “A Look Inside The Lucky Ones”.

“RocknRolla”

Photo credit: Warner Brothers

Guy Ritchie used to be on top of the world. “Lock, Stock, & Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” branded him as the next big thing, a British Quentin Tarantino that spoke to his generation’s love for gangster movies. Then he made “Swept Away” and “Revolver” and it all went to hell. The mediocrity of “RocknRolla” would be more acceptable if this Gerard Butler flick was Ritchie’s third movie, but this far down the slide of the former Mr. Madonna’s career trajectory, it’s just not notable enough to reverse Ritchie’s sliding reputation. “RocknRolla” does have a few things going for it - a charming lead performance, a twisting and turning plot - to barely recommend a rental, but it’s not the return to form that we were all hoping for.

In “RocknRolla,” Gerard Butler and Idris Elba play a couple of small-time thugs stuck in a complicated plot involving a London gang leader (Tom Wilkinson), a hard-as-ice accountant (Thandie Newton), a presumed dead rock and roll star (the “RocknRolla” of the title), a pair of music moguls (Jeremy Piven & Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), a missing painting, and some deadly Russians. “RocknRolla” is presented in widescreen with a 5.1 Dolby Surround track in English, French, and Spanish. Special features include a commentary by writer/director Guy Ritchie and co-star Mark Strong, an additional scene, and “Guy’s Town: The Director Reflects on His Fascination with Ever-Evolving London”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Writer, Director Neil Burger Follows Iraq Soldiers on Leave in ‘The Lucky Ones’

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:33:09 -0600

CHICAGO – In his short career as a writer and director, Neil Burger has taken on the John F. Kennedy assassination in “Interview with the Assassin” and the mysteries of magic in “The Illusionist,” which starred Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel.

With his new film “The Lucky Ones,” Burger tackles the dichotomy between the fighting soldiers in Iraq and a country that can’t equal that sacrifice on the home front during wartime.

Tim Robbins as Cheever in “The Lucky Ones,” which is directed by Neil Burger.
Photo credit: James Bridges

In a recent interview with HollywoodChicago.com, Burger spoke about the research he did in understanding the modern soldier, his surprising casting choice of anti-war activist Tim Robbins as one of the veterans and why he chose to relate this story while the Iraq conflict continues.

“What ‘The Lucky Ones’ shows about the situation now is the disconnect between soldiers who have given of themselves selflessly versus the self-centered attitude of the country when they get home,” Burger said.

The story involves three Iraq veterans on leave from the war. Stuck at an airport during a blackout, U.S. National Guardsman Cheever (Tim Robbins) manages to score a rental car to drive to his home in St. Louis.

He agrees to allow fellow soldiers Colee (Rachel McAdams) and TK (Michael Peña) to accompany him and then take the car to their destination in Las Vegas. Burger added: “Tim Robbins has been outspoken. That did give me pause in the sense that I didn’t want anybody to resist the movie.”

Michael Peña as TK and Rachel McAdams as Colee in “The Lucky Ones,” which is directed by Neil Burger.
Photo credit: James Bridges

Rating: 2.5/5.0

But he quickly interjected: “Tim is anti-war, but he’s also a great patriot. He loves this country and has done quite a bit of outreach with soldiers and their families. Tim liked the character and wanted to be part of the movie.”

The road trip of the soldiers also becomes a journey of conscience. All three people discover the country’s reaction to them and (in the case of Cheever) the dissolution of a marriage. Confrontations in a bar, a strange religious service and a wealthy man’s birthday party are just some of the America they encounter.

There is one particular moment in the film that Burger feels is emblematic of this country’s separated curtain between the war and modern life.

“There was one scene that happened at the wealthy guy’s birthday party,” Burger related. “Tim’s character says they were ‘just trying to stay alive over there’. The reaction from the party guest is: ‘Stay alive? No wonder we’re losing the war.’”

Director Neil Burger on the set of “The Lucky Ones”.
Photo credit: James Bridges

“I actually heard something like that,” he continued. “If the reasons aren’t presented exactly the way they want to hear it, it’s shocking how quickly people who say they support the troops or support the war are willing to condemn or alienate even the good soldiers.”

But Burger was quick to point out that the film isn’t about the physical aspect of fighting the war but the inner conflict of adjusting to the homeland away from the battlefield.

“When these soldiers come home, I learned that their feelings toward everyone saying ‘thank you! thank you!’ – as I depict in the movie – completely rubs them the wrong way,” he explained. “They would rather be told ‘welcome home’ than ‘thank you’. To them, ‘thank you’ implies ‘thank you for doing it so I didn’t have to’. They feel as if there is an emptiness behind it.”

Burger added: “Ultimately, however, the movie and the characters are less about soldiering and more about what they want as ordinary Americans who come home.”

He continued: “[They want] to have a good time and find their families and loved ones. That is when they find they’re strangers in their own land.”

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “The Lucky Ones” image gallery.

RELATED READING
More film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

Even though the subject of the film deals with the Iraq war in the background, it’s more of a mirror to the United States culture that reacts to their soldiers coming back (similar to the World War II-era film “Best Years of Our Lives” and the Vietnam-themed “Coming Home”).

“The movie looks at America now. [It’s] a snapshot of the country now,” Burger said.

He concluded: “We used to have a collective psychology and a sense of national purpose. That has been lost in recent years. The war is a depressing situation and people tend to turn away from depressing things. But this has long-term consequences for the overall moral health of the country.”

“The Lucky Ones,” which opened everywhere on Sept. 26, 2008, is written and directed by Neil Burger and features Tim Robbins, Rachel McAdams, Michael Peña, John Heard and Molly Hagan.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

‘Iron Man’ Sits Indisputably in Club of Highest-Rated Superhero Movies Ever

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:53:58 -0600

CHICAGO – Move over, Superman. This lush, high-octane playboy never tasted so good.

Robert Downey Jr. fittingly opens “Iron Man” with a cocktail in hand and all the arrogance in the world. As the story goes, his conceit is indeed respected as Earth is his oyster both for the playing and for the taking. With the American marketing machine in full effect for 2008’s first summer blockbuster, the inaugural one lives up to the buildup.

“Iron Man” has already not only etched itself the mark of the first indisputable blockbuster of 2008 and one of the best-reviewed films so far in 2008 but also one of the highest-rated superhero movies of all time – yes, of all time. The film deserves every million it makes.

Read Adam Fendelman’s full review of “Iron Man” in our reviews section.

View our massive, high-resolution “Iron Man” image gallery.

Even before he’s Iron Man, Downey Jr. is authentically transformative as the lush, cash-flushed, comedic, all-powerful and all-knowing Tony Stark.

Even those who aren’t fans of the comic series and just enjoy quality entertainment with fall prey to his allure as well as the blockbuster power of the film in general.

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts – Stark’s assistant who keeps him functioning and even remembers his social security number for him – is indeed the subservient, selfless character she’s written to be. Hollywood gives her great hair, too. Paltrow took the role only after Rachel McAdams turned it down.

Iron Man is in the throes of a pitched battle with a determined nemesis in “Iron Man”.
Photo credit: Industrial Light & Magic

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in his battle-scarred Mark III armor in “Iron Man”.
Photo credit: Zade Rosenthal

Read Adam Fendelman’s full “Iron Man” review…

Interview: Chris Cooper, Director Ira Sachs Marry Blissfully in ‘Married Life’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:38:35 -0600

CHICAGO – Sitting down with Oscar-winning actor Chris Cooper and Ira Sachs – the director of Cooper’s latest film, “Married Life,” which opened on March 14, 2008 in Chicago – is to marvel at the passion and commitment these two high-level professionals bring to this entertaining, poignant and hilarious new film.

“Married Life” is set in 1949 America and features the character of Harry (Cooper): a man hitched for many comfortable years to his wife, Pat, who is played by Patricia Clarkson. At the same time, he is having a secret affair with Kay – a surprisingly appropriate Rachel McAdams – and longs to be with her permanently.

Actor Chris Cooper for “Married Life” in Chicago on Feb. 27, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Events start to percolate when Harry confesses his affair to his best friend, Richard (a perfect Pierce Brosnan), who not only takes notice of Kay but starts to call on her himself. The inner conflict that Harry possesses evolves to generate an idea designed in his mind to solve everything while in the meantime Richard, Kay and even Pat are generating their own victimized circumstances.

“For me, this film speaks to the fact that all relationships are in rupture and repair,” said “Married Life” director Sachs in a Chicago interview with HollywoodChicago.com critic Patrick McDonald. “As human beings, [we] are always separate people even [when] in a relationship. Maybe if we accept that more there is a possibility for becoming closer to the people with [whom] you have an intimate life.”

Director Ira Sachs for “Married Life” in Chicago on Feb. 27, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Cooper talked about making the character of Harry likable even though he’s having an affair and hiding it from his devoted wife. He added: “If there is a conscious choice, it’s that I’m not giving the viewer a break. I don’t anticipate or show my hand. I want to challenge them. As a character, Harry has made some very bad choices, but I’m not going to play up the evil aspect of that. I wanted to make him human.”

Sachs concurs: “The thing Chris brings as an actor is that he makes text and subtext equal. He brings so much to even silence in the texture of his performance. That’s what you’re noticing. Harry is complex and Chris is a good actor. That is the nature of what makes him interesting.”

The performances are fined-tuned in “Married Life” as precise and nuanced as its 1940s setting. Long shedding his James Bond persona, Brosnan becomes the conscience within and around the disintegrating marriage of Harry and Pat. Still, he’s not above carrying on a with larcenous selfishness. He is best described as delicious.

Rachel McAdams in “Married Life”.
Photo credit: IMDb

“I was very taken with Pierce in his role in the recent film ‘Matador’ and especially his humor,” Sachs said. “‘Married Life’ was a really rich role for him. He brings an emotionality and vulnerability to the performance. He really is the one [who] defines the whole tone of the film.”

Cooper also spoke of fellow actors Clarkson, Brosnan and McAdams: “What was outstanding to me was having these three talents who were equally committed to the project. I see a lot of casual acting in films today. There is not a scene in this film that is casual.”

There is a lightness and whimsy to the proceedings from the animated opening credits to the bright and explicit glamour of its 1949 world. While the narrative doesn’t exactly wink at the camera, it certainly doesn’t wallow in what could have been very dark material. There are nods to the quirkiness of Alfred Hitchcock in his manner of handling dark situations in a light manner.

Chris Cooper in “Married Life”.
Photo credit: IMDb

“I did go back to Hitchcock films like ‘Shadow of a Doubt,’ which were both fun and sinister,” Sachs said. “I wanted the film especially to be funny and have the audience accept it. For example, if there is a twist or turn, there isn’t a scream but a laugh.”

“As characters and as actors, we wanted to handle this material with a certain lightness but play it for real,” Cooper said.

Indeed, there is a certain reality in this film. Even though the setting and characters have extreme points that are mostly played for laughs, there’s nothing about the central theme of exploring relationships that rings false.

Great care was taken to craft a respectful and almost old-fashioned studio picture about the married life and fun results. “Married Life” is a throwback to leaving your cares behind and munching popcorn in front of a passionately acted “movie-type movie”.

Pierce Brosnan and Rachel McAdams in “Married Life”.
Photo credit: IMDb

“‘Married Life’ is trying to give people a filmic version of certain things that happen in their own lives. It allows them to accept certain kinds of disappointments, pains and distance they might experience [without] beating themselves up for it,” Sachs injected.

He continued: “But I think this film shouldn’t be taken literally. We do have an animated opening credit sequence. We’re trying to say what’s going to follow you should enjoy, you should engage, you should invest in and yet it does play out on a level that is ‘movie like’. It is a movie.”

Cooper summed up his “Married Life” experience: “When I commit to a film like this, I’m working on it every day. It’s just a joy and that’s the pleasure I get. I’m not going to waste my time on something that’s not a challenge.”

Challenging, intuitive and comical are spot-on characteristics for describing the devotion of Cooper and Sachs in this pursuit and the subsequent audience experience in enjoying their film.

“Married Life” opened in Chicago on March 14, 2008 at AMC Pipers Alley, Landmark’s Renaissance in Highland Park and CineArts in Evanston. The film opened limited elsewhere on March 7, 2008.

View our full “Married Life” image gallery.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Three Upcoming Marriage Films: ‘Married Life,’ ‘27 Dresses,’ ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’

HollywoodChicago.com — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 19:08:53 -0700

If 2007 was the year of the war films, at least a portion of 2008 is focusing on the eternal vows of matrimony.

Without even researching others, three 2008 films on the topic of navigating the ups and downs and marriage have all proactively popped onto my film radar in the last 12 hours alone.

First up we have the romantic drama “The Time Traveler’s Wife” with the adorably talented Rachel McAdams (“The Notebook”) and Eric Bana (“Munich,” “Troy”). Here’s the plot outline:

“The Time Traveler’s Wife” is a romantic drama about a Chicago librarian (Eric Bana) with a gene that causes him to involuntarily time travel and the complications it creates for his marriage.

First-look production stills have just surfaced for “The Time Traveler’s Wife” on Filmz. I first learned about these from a Jan. 1 /Film post. “The Time Traveler’s Wife” has an unknown 2008 open date.

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in “The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
Photo credit: Filmz

Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana in “The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
Photo credit: Filmz

Rachel McAdams in “The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
Photo credit: Filmz

Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams in “The Time Traveler’s Wife”.
Photo credit: Filmz
“Married Life,” which is slated to open on March 7, 2008, is next up on the theme. It’s ironically another marriage film again with McAdams.

Rachel McAdams for “Married Life”.
Photo credit: WireImage.com
The film, which is co-written by Ira Sachs and Oren Moverman (a co-writer of “I’m Not There”), stars Pierce Brosnan, Chris Cooper and McAdams. “Married Life” director Ira Sachs (“Forty Shades of Blue”) will speak with Chicago critics in January. Here’s the plot outline:

It’s a 1940s-set drama where an adulterous man plots his wife’s death instead of putting her through the humiliation of a divorce.

Finally, we have Katherine Heigl who got “Knocked Up” in 2007. She’s always a bridesmaid but never a bride in “27 Dresses” from “The Devil Wears Prada” scribe Aline Brosh McKenna.

Katherine Heigl in “27 Dresses”.
Photo credit: IMDb
The romantic comedy “27 Dresses” is scheduled to hit theaters on Jan. 11. Here’s the plot outline:

After serving as a bridesmaid 27 times, a young woman (Katherine Heigl) wrestles with the idea of standing by her sister’s side as her sibling marries the man she’s secretly in love with.