Director: Edward Burns
Though not a thought-provoking nor widely acclaimed, Newlyweds is still a film to watch. Set in New York, it tells a story about Buzzy, a gym trainer and Katie, a restaurant owner, who recently has gotten married. They were on their second marriage, and at the start of the film, they claim that their relationship set-up is a key to making their marriage work, something that Katie's sister Marsha attest to. Not only is Marsha's marriage putting a bit of a damp to the couple's relationship, but Buzzy's half-sister Linda moves in with them while trying to reconnect with a past lover.
Linda is beginning to butt heads with Katie, while Buzzy refused to get involved in the deterioration of Marsha and Max's marriage. As their lives move on forward and events concerning their respective relatives cloud them, each of them begin to evaluate their relationship and start prioritizing their responsibilities. In a nutshell, it is about relationships. Each respective group (Linda and her promiscuity, Buzzy and Katie, Max and Marsha) embody a certain status in life when it comes to relationships: finding the right partner, the honeymoon period and life after. Buzzy and Katie were in the honeymoon period, and they were catching glimpses of what would be if their marriage don't work out for them, embodied through their respective sisters.
While it is not thought-provoking, per say, the way such topic was tackled on was done in a light manner. It's not a film to be dismissed as a heavily coated typical film, but rather, it was depicted as if the characters were plucked out of real life and got thrown in front of a camera and was forced to talk about their lives. I liked how it was made into a mockumentary-styled film. The audience is reeled into the lives of different people, each having their different thoughts and opinions about the matter present. It brings the audience up-to-date on the lives of the characters involved. Having it mockumentary style allows the audience to see the real thoughts of these characters, to have them not cover up nor be pretentious.
While performances were not standout, nor the writing was acclaimed, it was performed and written excellently. No line was out of place, and each sentence was delivered with vigor from the performers. The transitions were good, the editing was good. The writing exhibited uncensored dialogue. It was sharp, it was written well for the character. All the actors did good work in portraying the script. I really liked Burns and Fitzgerald as the newlywed couple, and I really wanted to strangle Katie's sister, Marsha (played by Dietlein) for being a know-it-all about marriage (while hers was crumbling apart at 18 years). I wouldn't say it's a must watch, but it's something one shouldn't necessarily skip either. If you're a Burns fan, this a good watch. It doesn't seem to be sugar-coated and while it doesn't necessarily bring a fresh perspective (the relationship problem angle has been long overdone), it does have its own way of discussing the matter.
No comments:
Post a Comment