Between Us

Incredibly hard to make a play feel like a movie but Dan Mirvish has succeeded and then some. Stellar cast who bring it, stylish, and an outstanding Behind The Scenes extra that tells it like it is.

The film is shot beautifully by Nancy Schreiber (one of my favorite DPs), edited in a really interesting, non-linear fashion and is a showcase for Taye Diggs, Julia Styles and David Harbour. And while Melissa George has the sort of thankless role, she comes through when it's her moment to shine at the climax.

In the end, all of it comes together under the skillful direction of Mirvish.

What tries to be an intense, cerebral drama turns out to be anything but in director Dan Mirvish's astonishingly terrible Between Us. If first impressions truly are everything, it appears someone forgot to give the memo to the director and cast, as the film opens with one of the most inexplicably irritating and unnatural dialogue sequences in contemporary film history. For those holding out hope…well…things don't get much better.

The story centres on two couples; once friends, but now heading in different directions- the offbeat artistic pairing of Carlo (Taye Diggs) and Grace (Julia Stiles) and the wealthy but unhappy Joel (David Harbour) and Sharyl (Melissa George).

No further synopsis can be provided, though, as the film proves to be utterly plot less right from the outset. The story intermittently jumps between key moments in these characters' lives, providing no valid linkages along the way, instead assuming that audiences will graciously accept multiple sudden breaks in an already disjointed film.

Each scene feels atrociously recycled, simply putting a different couple in the same troublesome situation. Naturally, this highly predictable fare becomes tired very quickly, as the film persistently fails to demand even the slightest sliver of viewer attention.

Writers Mirvish and Joe Hortua grossly mishandle any opportunities to develop their characters. All four individuals regularly flip-flop on decisions and established motives, giving a laughably embarrassing air to a film that takes itself far too seriously.

And yet, none of its aforementioned flaws can trump the disastrous overacting indulged in by each cast member. Harbour leads the pack, coming off as some sort of cringe worthy aberration of Modern Family's Phil Dunphy, with all of the social awkwardness and none of the charm, but make no mistake- the honour of 'worst actor' remains very much a four horse race, culminating in a soppy, borderline intelligence-insulting ending. Avoid with extreme prejudice.

*There's nothing I love more than a bit of feedback, good or bad. So drop me a line on jnatsis@iprimus.com.au and let me know what you thought of my review. If you're looking for a writer for your movie website or other publication, I'd also love to hear from you.*

Well worth checking out this impressive, well-acted, beautiful looking film. With strong performances from the four leads and wonderful cinematography, this film makes you forget you're watching a play on film. The director, Dan Mirvish, found interesting and innovative ways to take you out of the two primary locations and make the film feel big and alive. Having never seen the play (though I had heard it was based on a play) I was surprised by the places that the film went. The movie illustrated how life can change and how the best laid plans may never come to fruition - not to mention how things can always get better. The film touches on issues that matter and is well worth watching.

Ugh... How could any of these people have any connection to each other (or anyone else for that matter) in any way. It's an hour and a half of 4 people that hate each other yelling and being altogether horrible. No one maintains relationships this caustic. These are characters that you'd politely excuse yourself from the first time you meet but never forget. The only people that could possibly like this movie are self-loathing masochists or schadenfreude narcissists. The only redeeming quality of this film is that it does make you think about your own relationships and you feel great that even the rickety ones are at least somewhat tolerable.

Let's be clear: This is not an easy movie to watch. Like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? or (more recently) Carnage, Between Us almost seems to revel in exposing the nastier side of human nature. We're given a ringside seat at an emotional slugfest as a pair of (nominally friendly) couples eviscerate themselves and each other at a series of ill-advised dinner parties. Once the wine starts to loosen tongues and inhibitions, verbal sparring quickly escalates into full-on psychological warfare -- the 'take no prisoners' kind. And trust me: There's more genuine violence in this movie than the entire third act of Man of Steel -- it's just that here the characters are clobbered with words, not skyscrapers.

In short: If you like Who's Afraid...? and Carnage, then Between Us is a must-see.