Staring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, this film is about a young coupe falling in love and falling out of love in a marriage that began with an unplanned pregnancy. The film is a drama about relationships, so I didn't expect a lot of action or suspense. But it does deliver a smart script and excellent acting; it doesn't try to manipulate its audience with 'mood' music; it stays away from cliched characterization and soap-opera type dialogue where they fill in a the blanks as though the audience is a congress of idiots. I really enjoyed this little drama.
Ryan Gosling is an impressive actor. He's Canadian, which is cool. You probably remember him from "The Notebook" which, yes, was full of cliches and manipulative plotting, music, and direction, but it was nevertheless effective and (I hate to say this) one of the classic modern romances. But Gosling is much better than that movie. He has a kind of every man look that reminds me of Tom Hanks. He also has an impeccable eye for choosing great scripts and playing subtle, interesting characters... people that could be living next door. Here's a list of Gosling film I've seen and recommend:
The United States of Leland.
The Notebook.
Stay. An strange and beautiful film with Ewen McGregor, Naomi Waits, and Gosling, about suicide, death, and redemption.
Half-Nelson. An amazing film about a highschool teacher addicted to drugs.
Fracture. A smart ans suspenseful thriller with Anthony Hopkins.
Lars and the Real Girl. A strange and touching tale about a young man whose loneliness and unrequited love for his brother's wife leads him to find love in a life-sized sex doll.
Blue Valentine. See above.
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