Blue Valentine (The Weinstein Company)
A One Sided Love Affair
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams co-star in Blue Valentine, a story about a young couples evolution from bliss to blah. The acting in this film is of the highest caliber; the storyline not so much. It definitely is not the kind of huggy feely movie you want to share with someone on Valentines Day. It would be the kiss of death to any romantic mood.
Dean and Cindy (Gosling and Williams) are shown at the start of the film to be a married couple with a small daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka). Cindy is a nurse and Dean is a house painter. They seem to be relatively happy but they dont communicate with each other very well.
Through flashbacks we see the start of their love story and the problems they faced reaching the place where they are now. Dean was always the more loving of the two while Cindy seems to have some drawbacks about his ambitions and his status. She had been studying pre-med while Dean was a high school dropout.
Their differences are at first covered up by her need for him but later they surface in a myriad of little ways. He is content to be Cindys husband and Frankies father but she wants more for herself and for him.
You get a sense from the start that none of this is going to end up in a good place. The film is called Blue Valentine after all. That color does not bode well for a happy ending.
Gosling is definitely one of Hollywoods best young actors. He immerses himself into the role of Dean and gives every facet of his personality believability. At times in the film Deans anxieties and desperation break your heart, and this emotional content is directly related to Goslings talent.
Williams has come a long way from Dawsons Creek. Still even there her talent made her stand out from her other cast mates. As Cindy she has to play the bad guy in a lot of ways. She is the one who isnt happy, and she is the one who always seems to want more. Thanks to Williams performance the audience can relate to Cindys restlessness, however they will find it difficult to understand why she doesnt appreciate Dean.
The film was initially rated NC-17 but that was later changed to an R rating for profanity, sexual scenes and nudity. It is fairly explicit.
This is a movie which can be appreciated for the acting talent on display. It isnt however a movie that you leave savoring. The story is such that you end up depressed rather than being entertained and satisfied.
I scored Blue Valentine a heart breaking 5 out of 10.
