Film Review: Lives Interact in ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them’

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CHICAGO – There was something blank within “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them,” although it dealt with the issues of loss, family and reconciliation. The all star cast, including Jessica Chastain, James McAvoy and William Hurt, add their performing spins to the story.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Character dramas with some juice is a rare bird in the cinema, so “Rigby” gets points for adding some emotion to this film going experience. But the theme of loss and the hope for redemption becomes redundant as the film progresses, and it goes from one scene to another, pairing the characters in conversation as if they’re in a therapy session, with none of those talks hitting the jugular vein of revelation. This probably mirrors real life more closely, but doesn’t resolve the drama of the screenplay. However, the film is a worthwhile happening – two more films were done about the main couple in their points of view (“Him” and “Her”) – and the performance of the ensemble cast delivers the story at a high level.

Eleanor Rigby (Jessica Chastain), a woman in her thirties, is shown riding her bike on a bridge in New York City, when suddenly she gets off and jumps over the railing. Her suicide attempt is denied when a passerby alerts a rescue team, and after her hospital recovery she moves back with her parents (William Hurt and Isabelle Huppert) to recover from the event.

It turns out that Eleanor is estranged from her husband Conor (James McAvoy), following a tragic situation in their marriage. As part of her recovery, she goes back to a local college and seeks counsel from a Professor (Viola Davis), while Conor tries to make a go in the restaurant business with partner Stuart (Bill Hader). All the folks participating in the couple’s adventures percolate around the idea that what happened to them needs to be understood.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby”

Conor (James McAvoy) and Eleanor (Jessica Chastain) in ‘The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them’
Photo credit: The Weinstein Company

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby”