Customer Reviews

Two Lovers [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix) struggles with depression after his fiance leaves him. The movie opens with Leonard attempting suicide. That night he meets Sandra (Vanessa Shaw)-a sweet, affable, loving girl. A short time later he runs into Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow)-a drug addled, promiscuous, party girl who loves a married man. Sandra wants to take care of Leonard and Leonard wants to take care of Michelle.

In his relationship with Michelle, Leonard is the strong one, the good one. In his relationship with Sandra, he continues to be the weak man from his past-the guy that needs gentle understanding. It's no wonder he pines for Michelle even though she's going to lead him down the path of self destruction. But every lover wants the chase.

I loved this movie and am frankly surprised by the bad reviews. Two Lovers may be subtle and a bit slow for some, but I found it nuanced and charming. At times in my life I've been the sunny party girl in love with the wrong man, the depressed lover pining for a an ex, and the sweet affable girl who could utter such lines as "if you don't want me, it's ok. I mean a lot of guys don't want me." Everyone should find at least one character in this film they can relate to. Highly recommended.

An interesting drama about an imperfect love triangle. Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard, a man perhaps in his early thirties, living in an apartment in Brooklyn with his parents, a Jewish couple who have a small dry cleaning operation where Leonard works. Leonard has a story behind him: an engagement with a girl was broken some years ago when they found that they were genetically incompatible, and he has tried to kill himself in the past, more than once. His parents, worried by him, try to set him up with Sandra, the nice daughter of a fellow (and apparently wealthier) Jewish businessman. Though not terribly enthusiastic about Sandra, he starts going out with her, who is very attracted to him (why a seemingly down to earth person like Sandra would be attracted to an obviously troubled person like Leonard is unclear, though I suppose things like this happen, though not very usually, in real life). But just when Leonard and Sandra start meeting and knowing each other, he meets Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow, who is great), an impetuous, beautiful, but messed-up neighbor. Leonard falls for Michelle quickly, but soon realizes that she sees him basically as an asexual friend, and feels no sexual attraction whatsoever for him. In fact, Michelle has a relationship with a married man, and wants Leonard to go out with them in order to see if he would be willing to leave his family to her. A normal guy would realize there is no hope with her and tell her goodbye at this point, but Leonard is too smitten with Michelle to do so. And so, while his relationship with Sandra starts growing, so does his obsession with Michelle (who, while not really loving him, is constantly calling him for help). At the end, Leonard would have to make a choice between living with the nice Sandra, who loves him but is somewhat boring, and the unstable Michelle, who is gorgeous and fun to be with, but also very unstable, and if that wasn't enough, really doesn't love him, and would probably leave him soon if she would even agree to be with him. Not an awful dilemma for a well grounded person. One could argue with the resolution, assuming that Michelle is telling Leonard the truth (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD): men almost never leave their wives for their lovers, and especially unstable and emotionally immature women like Michelle. Still, these points aside, this is a solid, well-acted movie, which is never boring, and rings truthful most of the time.

"Two Lovers"
(Magnolia Films, 2009)
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Joaquin Phoenix turns in a stunning, multi-layered performance as Leonard, a faltering, shaken young man whose life has been upended by a jilted marriage engagement and a psychiatric diagnosis (that remains fuzzily-defined for the film's viewers...) Leonard has come back home to live with his benign, elderly parents in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Brighton Beach, and from this position of infantilization and defeat, he starts to mend his life.

When romance comes into his life, through two women -- one wild and forbidden, the other nurturing and safe -- the complexity of Leonard's character comes into view. One might expect such a damaged man to seek the comfort of the safe lover, the future wife who will replace the fiance who deserted him, but instead he is drawn to the mystery of his wild new neighbor, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. (One remarkable twist in this film is how we as viewers find ourselves pushed away from the ever-attractive Ms. Paltrow: her character exudes danger and chaos: run away! we want to yell as Leonard becomes more and more infatuated with her...)

Phoenix's performance continually defies our expectations. His Leonard doesn't reveal itself in the simplistic, cookie-cutter vocabulary of most modern filmmaking, be it mainstream or indie; there are parts of his personality that remain elusive and that don't make sense, and even his ultimate decision about what to do with his life is difficult to gauge. Did he make a "good" decision? Will it last? Does he heal? We simply do not know. All we know is what we can see, and in this case, what we see is a fine film with an unusually rich, mature psychological complexity. Definitely worth checking out. (Joe Sixpack, Slipcue film review blog)

It's a tricky enough business trying to juggle two relationships at the same time even under the best of circumstances. Now imagine trying to do so when your mental stability is already in question and your emotional state far from sound.

In "Two Lovers," Joaquin Phoenix plays a young man who suffers from suicidal depression. His condition has made it imperative that he move back in with his parents, an old world couple who live in a spacious apartment in Brighton Beach. Leonard's life turns even more complicated and stressful when he becomes involved with both an attractive friend of the family (whom the parents want him to hook up with) and a beautiful but seriously troubled neighbor he meets one day in the hall. The problem is that Leonard is really head-over-heels in love with the needy, self-absorbed and high maintenance Michelle (who is herself involved with a married man), and is really only using Sandra as a means of getting back at Michelle for not reciprocating his love.

Based on the Dostoevsky short story "White Nights" and the 1957 Visconti movie of the same name, the inexorably sad and moving "Two Lovers" takes place in a world in which the characters rarely talk above a whisper and from which all possibility of joy seems to have been drained away. The movie is almost achingly perceptive about how the human psyche actually works when it comes to affairs of the heart, acknowledging that we can control neither how we feel about others nor how others feel about us - though we certainly do expend a great deal of our energy and time trying! Leonard is not a "bad" guy at heart; he doesn't go out of his way to intentionally hurt others, but he's also not above deceiving himself into believing he's doing nothing wrong when he clearly is. Ditto for Michelle who's too focused on herself and her own needs and desires to much care how her actions are affecting others. And poor, trusting Sandra is the one who may wind up paying for that indifference in the end.

The tone of the film is restrained, subdued and wintry, with the screenplay (by James Gray and Richard Menello) and the direction (by Gray) astutely capturing the dreary emptiness of the characters' lives. Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw give heartbreakingly understated performances as the individuals involved in the messy triangle, as does Isabella Rossellini as Leonard's prying but devoted mother who always seems well attuned to the moods of her child.

Joaquin Phoenix has stated publicly that "Two Lovers" will be the last movie he ever makes as an actor. Let me just state right up front that, if that is indeed the case, it will be a tremendous loss both to the profession and to appreciators of fine acting everywhere.

This film has a lot going for it. Three absolutely gorgeous women, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, and Isabella Rossellini. A quirky lead male, Joaquin Phoenix (yes the same one that had the idiotic much parodied interview with David Letterman). A complex love story, but one that seems more honest and true than the silly happy stories usually told. Interesting camera work and lighting - filmed in muted tones. And excellent direction and writing by James Gray.

The film opens with Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) jumping off a low bridge. As he floats downward, he sees an image in his mind and decides to live. There is something not exactly 100% with Leonard. He lives at home, there are cryptic questions about where he was four months ago, and he moves and talks in a halting not altogether there mode. The love triangle is a bit different. Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) likes Leonard. She's single, saw Leonard at his father's dry cleaner, and decided to set up a pretext to meet him. Leonard isn't 100% interested, but there's something going on. One afternoon, coming home, Leonard runs into Michelle (Paltrow) in the hallway running away from her yelling father. From the first meeting, its clear Leonard is interested. As the story progresses, we discover that Michelle is in love with and having an affair with a married man. She in turn feels like Leonard is her brother. This is the central conflict of the film, who will end up with who? Will anyone end up happy or get what they want?

Its this conflict and resolution that James Gray has developed oh so well. In the end, it is a sad movie. And each character gets what they want, even if it might not be in their best interest. The path there is an interesting one.

Oh the performances. Paltrow, Shaw, Phoenix, and Rossellini carry this film. There is a chemistry between these actors. It is clear that the director found exactly what each needed to deliver their best performances. Isabella Rossellini is such a surprise, a simple housewife, but so beautiful and all knowing. Its telling to see the star, writer, and director of, Green Porno: A Book and Short Films by Isabella Rossellini.

Early in the film we see Michelle first in bright sunlight in the hallway and Leonard bent over in shadow in front of his doorway. Michelle early on is always seen in a powerful dynamic composition with bright background and Leonard in a darker cluttered shot. As the story progresses and Michelle begins to show her flaws, she moves more toward the middle of the screen, the background becomes more cluttered, and she ends up in shadow or dim lighting. Leonard, on the other hand moves toward more dynamic brighter shots. Sandra and Leonard are almost always treated to similar lighting and composition. James Gray used film language to reinforce his story. It is so rare to see in a film anymore.

110 Minutes long, pacing is right on the money. Rated R, mostly for strong language. There are two intimate scenes with no nudity. Michelle does expose one breast through a window while Leonard watches across the courtyard from his window. A mature younger viewer could probably watch this film.

The DVD has some nice bonus features. A series of deleted scenes where the director writes about why he left the scene out. The reasons are valid, and the sequences really did not belong in the film. There are two very well done interview featurettes. One with James Gray talking about casting and the love that he put into this film. The other is HDNet's review of the film.

A very well made film. I enjoyed this very much.

"Two Lovers" is nearly a throwback to British cinema of the 1960's. It portrays a shy, strange protagonist seeking escape from a snug, but ultimately smothering family situation.

Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is a thirty-something young man still living at home, struggling with manic-depression. He has recently attempted suicide because of a failed relationship. He works in his father's dry cleaning business, with little to no social prospects. His mother and father ( Moni Monoshov and Isabella Rossellini) out of concern for Leonard, have tried to play matchmaker by manuevering Leonard into a relationship with the daughter of a business partner.

Leonard is not averse to the attentions of Sandra (Vanessa Shaw), but at the same time he has discovered Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), who lives above Leonard in the apartment complex. Michelle is a beautiful legal assistant who is supported by her paramour--her married boss at the law firm.

For Leonard, Michelle is like a glamorous cheerleader suddenly dropped in the lap of the high school loser. She becomes a risky alternative to a dull, safe and programmed future. She represents the freedom that Leonard, mired in his mental problems, desperately wants.

It's an interesting premise--but ultimately this admirably intentioned little film is also prevented from truly taking flight because it is bogged down in unremittant drabness in its color palette. Whatever your feelings about Joaquin Phoenix, he is a good actor. But he doesn't succeed in bringing this minor tale to life in the way that Robert DeNiro has pulled off similar quirky roles. Joaquin's "Leonard" is too lacking in affect. It's almost as if Phoenix is impersonating Artie Lange. He doesn't breathe enough life into a low-key, repressed character, and thus the film itself never seems fully animated or believable...only murky, and slightly dull (something you would hardly expect of a film that boasts Gwyneth Paltrow and Isabella Rossellini.)

It's a nice story, and the supporting cast is good. But it's strange to see an ethnic film ( set in Brighton Beach, and centering on a Jewish family) sink because of a lack of flavor.

I saw this video about a year after it premiered at the movies, when it received mostly good reviews.
The dynamics of Joaquin/ Gwyneth and of Joaquin/Vinessa are right on point, very well portrayed and believable.
One reviewer found the script trite, but I found it poignant and what we would hear if we were to eavesdrop on these people's conversations in real life.
Phoenix carried the movie, but... he mumbles most of the time!!!! Didn't he ever learn how important good diction is in a conversation, and especially so in a movie? I blame that on the director for permitting him to speak that way. His mumbling became so bad that I had to set up english subtitles in order to know exactly what he was saying. This was supposed to be his last film, but I do not believe that. After all...he has to make a living and pay his bills.

Two Lovers is a story about a man who doesn't quite fit in the world he inhabits, he feels awkward but believes within his own limited awareness that he knows what he needs and what is attractive to him inspires his actions. He is a man who loves his parents but cannot communicate fully with them, though they fully support him and are desperate to communicate with him. One day he meets a woman who has a beautiful confidence that charms him and then soon meets another woman who may not be awkward as he is but who is just as lost and also has a charm of her own; vulnerability. This second woman becomes his obsession and the story's telling of this obsession and the developments is told in such a realistic way and with an artistic temperament in the vein of many great directors such as Antonioni and De Sica of the Italian realist era and in the vein of Hitchcock's Vertigo and Rear Window. The writing beautifully reflects the man's self-awareness and his conflicts with others. James Gray's ability to involve us through the artistic voice of cinema and the realistic writing in the dialogue and non-dialogue sequences transcends the story into a film masterpiece. Even in the end when many will think his plight is depressing or sad, I know from really understanding the character and his needs that one of the saddest moments in his life is leading him to his ultimate happiness.

Deliberate, dark, and subtlety suspenseful, this movie explores emotional vulnerability and immaturity. One tries to sympathize with the main character, Leonard (Phoenix), but we end up pitying Sandra (Vinessa Shaw). He's a failed adult, in part due to mental illness, but more owing to laziness and complacency and stunted emotional development.

The writing and acting of all involved especially Phoenix are remarkable. Rossellini as the over-protective and intrusive mother (? are we to believe she has a role in her son's neurosis) also delivers a subtle and consistent performance.
Gray adeptly captures the mood of Brighton Beach middle class.

As to the ending, based on Leonard's behavior and choices made throughout the movie - what we know of him- leads one to sense that returning to Sandra was nothing more than landing on a safety net after a daring but failed trapeze attempt. He tried making an impetuous break for it. It didn't work out. His options? Suicide, or pragmatically, not losing his investment in the ring by proposing to his "Plan B". He's the anti-hero to Hoffman in "The Graduate".

A brilliantly understated movie, coaxed from a script so subtle and thoughtful that I am convinced that the mere reading of it would be more rewarding than viewing 90% of competing fare. It has a symmetry hinted at by the title, a study of lies and truth within the context of lovers pursuing, and being pursued. It follows its own internal logic to a tremendous end, and ending: Leonard (Phoenix) lies (downwards) to Sandra (Shaw), and lets her down time and again, so that he may pursue Michelle (Paltrow)to whom he glibly lies (upwards), who lies to Leonard (down), and stands him up for her own agenda (up). Big lies, small lies, lies of all shapes and sizes, lies glibly told, and lies committed in all seriousness. So pervasive, and yet all so natural, that it made me realize, with a jolt, that this was getting dangerously real, uncomfortably close to the falsehoods with which we surround ourselves, especially in that which matters most to us and which therefore justifies our unloveliness.

Leonard pursues the image of Michelle to the end, willing to forsake all he knows to be true in the slim hope that she may yet prove to be true..taking us with him, against our better judgement, headlong, hoping, till the humbling truth is revealed.

Which is when Leonard is ready to receive the love truthfully and simply declared to him from the start. Does this mean that the furtive, intense grasping after an erotic fantasy is decried, and therefore healed by the two lovers locked in the awkward, public embrace with which we end? The answer is left dangling, for to us to decide. See it, and decide for yourself. I, for one, prefer truth and humility.

Bravo!!

Louis M