Thirty-five years ago one of our foremost film actresses was Debra Winger. She shined in films like An Officer and a Gentleman, Cannery Row, Urban Cowboy and especially Terms of Endearment before slowly backing away from Hollywood. She continued to act once in a while (Black Widow, Shadowlands) but refused to put career ahead of life. The Lovers provides Winger with her largest film role since Rachel Getting Married, although she has done television work in the meantime. Sadly, this film is not the greatest showcase for her talent.
Azazel Jacobs’ film is an odd comedy-drama about a married couple involved in affairs on the side. Mary (Winger) is involved with writer Robert (Aiden Gillen) while Michael (Tracy Letts)is involved with dancer Lucy (Melora Walters). Things come to a head on a weekend when their grown son Joel (Tyler Ross) brings his girlfriend Erin (Jessica Sula) home to meet them. Meanwhile, Robert and Lucy are pressing Mary and Michael to take the final step and break up for good.
What I expected would be an erudite, complex maze of romantic entanglements never materialized. What I saw was a semi-serious study of non-communication, especially between Mary and Michael. They barely talk to each other, and seemingly have never spoken to son Joel about his feelings. This would be fine for a drama but what is presented is intended as off-kilter comedy. It is off-kilter, with odd pauses, strange line readings and, most of all, characters staring at each other with unfathomable expressions. None of the characters, main or secondary, are especially empathic, especially dancer Lucy, who seems almost psychotic at various times.
The film did surprise me when at the end it did not follow the standard line and provide a semi-sweet happy ending. I was thinking that it took real bravery for the story to end the way it did, and then a phone call is made right at the end and the characters are back to square one. It’s a literary trick that seems like a cheat after an hour-and-a-half of uneasy comic drama. Neither Winger nor Letts is seen to advantage; the only character I liked was Erin. Realistic films like this are an important alternative to the big-budget action movies that are so popular, but they should be better than this one. ☆ ☆. 25 May 2017.