MadsenOMC
08-21-2006, 07:57 PM
SPOILERS!
I am a huge fan of The Myth of Fingerprints, and though World Traveler was disappointing, because of the cast and Sundance buzz, I had high hopes for Bart Freundlich's Trust the Man.
I am sad to say that it is pretty awful. A bland mainstream romantic comedy masquerading as an insightful indie flick, it would be intolerable without its talented cast.
The story follows two couples, one married and one not. Tom (David Duchovny) has recently quit a lucrative advertising job to become a full-time house husband. His wife Rebecca (Julianne Moore) is a successful actress.
Rebecca's brother and Tom's best friend Tobey (Billy Crudup), a writer, has been with Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal) for seven years.
Both couples have serious problems. Tom desires sex at least twice a day while Rebecca has a general disinterest in it. She believes her husband is too interested in sex, while he doesn't feel the need to apologize for being attracted to his wife.
Tobey is a selfish and inconsiderate jerk. He won't drive Elaine to work because he wants to watch Sportscenter and doesn't want to lose a good parking spot in front of their building. Plus, while she is ready for marriage and kids, he has no interest in either.
Both men are considering straying, Tom with a single mom he meets at his son's school and Tobey with an old college friend who is now married.
The main problem with Trust the Man is that is has nothing new or remotely interesting to say about modern relationships. They are difficult and complicated and full of compromise and sacrifice. Well no fucking shit.
It's also full of tired gender stereotypes. All men love porn and sports while contemplating or having affairs. All women are consumed by either thinking about their family or planning one.
It's also strange that for someone who clearly relishes mocking pretension, a word that gets mentioned repeatedly, Freundlich spends a lot of time wallowing in it. The characters talk and talk and talk but never really say anything. They are also incredibly dull.
For some reason there is an abundance of slapstick and bodily function humor. Both are unwelcome and out of place. Any movie that opens with a man and his son discussing poop is setting itself up for failure.
Though the acting is good across the board, the cast can't save the weak material they were given and you have to wonder what they could have possibly seen in this screenplay. Trust the Man is a bad movie.
4/10
I am a huge fan of The Myth of Fingerprints, and though World Traveler was disappointing, because of the cast and Sundance buzz, I had high hopes for Bart Freundlich's Trust the Man.
I am sad to say that it is pretty awful. A bland mainstream romantic comedy masquerading as an insightful indie flick, it would be intolerable without its talented cast.
The story follows two couples, one married and one not. Tom (David Duchovny) has recently quit a lucrative advertising job to become a full-time house husband. His wife Rebecca (Julianne Moore) is a successful actress.
Rebecca's brother and Tom's best friend Tobey (Billy Crudup), a writer, has been with Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal) for seven years.
Both couples have serious problems. Tom desires sex at least twice a day while Rebecca has a general disinterest in it. She believes her husband is too interested in sex, while he doesn't feel the need to apologize for being attracted to his wife.
Tobey is a selfish and inconsiderate jerk. He won't drive Elaine to work because he wants to watch Sportscenter and doesn't want to lose a good parking spot in front of their building. Plus, while she is ready for marriage and kids, he has no interest in either.
Both men are considering straying, Tom with a single mom he meets at his son's school and Tobey with an old college friend who is now married.
The main problem with Trust the Man is that is has nothing new or remotely interesting to say about modern relationships. They are difficult and complicated and full of compromise and sacrifice. Well no fucking shit.
It's also full of tired gender stereotypes. All men love porn and sports while contemplating or having affairs. All women are consumed by either thinking about their family or planning one.
It's also strange that for someone who clearly relishes mocking pretension, a word that gets mentioned repeatedly, Freundlich spends a lot of time wallowing in it. The characters talk and talk and talk but never really say anything. They are also incredibly dull.
For some reason there is an abundance of slapstick and bodily function humor. Both are unwelcome and out of place. Any movie that opens with a man and his son discussing poop is setting itself up for failure.
Though the acting is good across the board, the cast can't save the weak material they were given and you have to wonder what they could have possibly seen in this screenplay. Trust the Man is a bad movie.
4/10