Before Midnight (2013)

I never thought I'd find a film about a couple talking and arguing for almost two hours so fascinating.  I hate to contradict Judd Apatow, but no, this is 40!

I was a little nervous about seeing Before Midnight.  I've never seen the previous films in the series: Before Sunrise and Before Sunset.  The first film came out all the way back in 1995, so with that much history behind the film, I was afraid I might be lost without seeing the previous entries.

However, I've generally enjoyed writer/director Richard Linklater's films, so I thought I'd give it a shot.  I'm glad I did.  One of the great things about Before Midnight is that you don't have to see the previous films to understand what's going on or care about the characters.  The story is so relatable that it doesn't matter.  Whether you're married with kids, divorced or in a new relationship, you're going to find something familiar to latch on to here.

There's a very basic plot, as it's more of a character driven story.  Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) are still a couple, and parents to twin girls.  Jesse has a son from a previous marriage, and the film begins with him sending him back to the U.S. after spending time with them in Greece.  Jesse is a successful author, but Celine is considering taking a new job.  Concerned about being there for his son as he begins high school, Jesse debates whether or not they should consider a move back to the U.S.  He never comes right out and says it though.  Celine, on the other hand, really would like this new job, which means they'd have to stay put.  This seed of an argument eventually sprouts as the movie goes on.

Linklater shared writing credits with Delpy and Hawke, and I have to wonder how much of this was letting the two of them just sink into the characters and let the dialog flow.  It has some of the most natural feeling dialog I can recall seeing in a while.  When these two are arguing, it really feels like they're a couple that's been together for 20 years.  It also has some of the most creative insults I've seen.  They're kind of insults that only people that have known each other a long time can throw at each other.

At some points you'll feel uncomfortable, like when you go out to dinner with a couple and then they start to fight, and you don't want them to fight, but you know exactly where it's coming from.  Or worse yet, you've had this argument before.  That's pretty much the last half of the film.  Another thing that made latter half of the film uncomfortable, is that it starts with the two of them attempting to have sex.  Delpy is naked, and Hawke is digging in, but then the phone rings, and that ends up triggering an epic argument.

It's not just all Hawke and Delpy though.  Earlier in the film, there's a dinner scene with several couples where they are have a deep conversation about life and love and it's absolutely fascinating.  I think the scene went on for a good 20 minutes, but I completely lost track of time as I was involved in the scene.  I ended up wishing I could have been sitting at that table and engaging in this great conversation.  This part of the film would be great to watch with friends as a launching point for your own conversation about the same.  I point this part out to note that it's not all completely serious.  There's definitely some funny dialog, so you don't walk out of this film depressed or bummed out.

Before Midnight was an absolute pleasure to watch.  It's smart, brilliantly written and acted, sometimes funny, and is easily one of the best films of 2013.  I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to watch a great film about life, love and relationships.  This one's likely going to end up in my top ten of the year.

5 (out of 5) Death Stars

2 Days in New York (2012) - Movie Review

Imagine watching an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia only it's based in New York and some of the characters speak French.  Maybe even throw a little Woody Allen in there.  That's the feeling I got when watching 2 Days in New York, the latest effort from writer/director/actor Julie Delpy.

Delpy stars a Marion, an artist that has an upcoming show where she is selling her soul as a concept piece.  She's in a relationship with Mingus (Chris Rock), a writer and radio talk show host.  They each share custody of a child from a previous relationship.  Things seems to be fine until a visit from Marion's father, sister and boyfriend throw their lives into a 2 day whirlwind of crazy.

Marion's father (played by Deply's real-life father, Albert) is passionate, a little nutty, and is difficult to communicate with as he only speaks a handful of English.  Her sister, Rose (Alexia Landeau), is sexually aggressive and seeks to push Marion's buttons at every moment.  She also has no issue with casual nudity.  Rose's boyfriend (Alexandre Nahon) is an absolute buffoon, acting pretty much on any impulse that pops into his head.  As soon as he's introduced, he declares he was Marion's ex and tries to bond with Mingus over 20-year-old music (Salt-n-Pepa).  The look on Rock's face is priceless.

You're basically watching Marion deal with the increasing craziness of her family and going from situation to situation over the 2 days.  Sometimes it's very funny, and other times it can be a little uncomfortable to watch.  Imagine knowing a group of people that just say whatever is on their mind without any regard for the appropriateness of it or who they are saying it to.  These are self-absorbed sociopaths we are dealing with here.  Mingus seems like the only sane person and you're watching the film from his perspective.  He's just as stunned at their behavior as we are.  As much as he'd like to just put them all on the next plane back home, you have to deal with the in-laws when you're in love, right?

Chris Rock was the highlight of the movie for me.  His performance was witty and had some nice nuance in his delivery.  It's a much different Rock than what you're used to seeing.  This is the type of stuff I'd like to see him stick with moving forward.  He's better than the silly comedies he's been stuck with since transitioning from SNL and stand-up.  The entire cast was very good and played off each other well.

Delpy directed and co-wrote the screen play with Landeau and Nahon.  They did a good job juggling all the characters and conversations without it feeling too hectic or busy.  It's not hard to follow at all.  While the movie is very funny, it's a little bit of a mixed bag.  It's like they tried everything, but it didn't always work.  As exaggerated as some of the film felt, it never felt unbelievable though.

This is a sequel to Delpy's 2 Days in Paris, which is a movie I haven't seen, but now wish I had after watching 2 Days in New York.  I imagine I might have enjoyed the movie even more with a little more familiarity with the characters.

If you like watching family comedies dealing with uncomfortable situations and dialog, then 2 Days in New York is for you.  You'll be entertained by watching someone deal with their family the only way they know how, but at the same time be glad it's not you.  It's witty and smart, but a little uneven.  This is one of the limited release films, but it should be available On Demand now.  It's nothing you have to rush out to the theater to see, but I recommend it as a rental.

3 (out of 5) Death Stars