Right out of the box let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The cast was terrific, with special praise for Laura Linney and Matthew Broderick. A little less so for Mark Ruffalo, who always seems to be fidgeting and struggling for a line; some sort of James Dean affliction, I suppose.
The story of Sammy (Linney) who is under much pressure from a new martinet (and very married) boss, while trying to raise her 8-year old son, and is then visited by her irresponsible younger brother (Ruffalo). Of course, Sammy plunges into an affair with the boss, complicating things even further, while brother Terry introduces some unwanted adventure into his little nephew's life. Sammy is also fielding a proposal from Bob, a bed friend and nice guy.
Everything in this picture is just fine, except for the really mind-boggling anticlimactic ending. None of these plot strings are resolved in any way at all - neither happily or otherwise - giving no closure on any one of them. I am not advocating a happy ending or a sad one, merely some closure on perhaps one aspect of the many conflicts or problems so masterfully presented.
What we have here is a great movie with no ending. If it had an ending, ten stars was well within reach. Worth a look.
The story of Sammy (Linney) who is under much pressure from a new martinet (and very married) boss, while trying to raise her 8-year old son, and is then visited by her irresponsible younger brother (Ruffalo). Of course, Sammy plunges into an affair with the boss, complicating things even further, while brother Terry introduces some unwanted adventure into his little nephew's life. Sammy is also fielding a proposal from Bob, a bed friend and nice guy.
Everything in this picture is just fine, except for the really mind-boggling anticlimactic ending. None of these plot strings are resolved in any way at all - neither happily or otherwise - giving no closure on any one of them. I am not advocating a happy ending or a sad one, merely some closure on perhaps one aspect of the many conflicts or problems so masterfully presented.
What we have here is a great movie with no ending. If it had an ending, ten stars was well within reach. Worth a look.