Between Us

The movie is based on a play, that is to say it's basically a lay in film form. Like so many plays, and play based movies, it revolves around couples and relationships and I'm getting somewhat tired of the recurring theme. It seems most of these moves are pretty much the same, sure they have different situations and settings, but the basic dialogs are the same, and that's exactly the case here. The movie/play juxtaposes 2 couples at different time in their life and deals with issues such as the frustration of long term relationships, finance, life choices, urban living vs. the country.....ordinary stuff which you've no doubt come across before and that isn't taken to new heights here. Some of the scenes are laughably over the top and that just really pulls you out of the moment and makes you doubt the credibility of the story and the characters. Apart from that the acting and directing was great, David Harbour was especially good although Melissa George was bland through most of it, bad casting perhaps. In short, watch this if you like quasi intellectual relationship plays.

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.

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.*

"Between Us" is a relationship drama. Two thirty-something couples, all friends, have ended up in slightly different places in life, but they are all determined to get through their relationships together. Except, they really don't care. The first weekend, Grace (Julia Stiles) and Carlo (Taye Diggs) visit the more successful Joel (David Harbour) and Sharyl (Melissa George). What is obvious to everyone else is that Joel and Sharyl are putting up a fake façade to hide their unhappiness.

Grace and Carlo are both, simultaneously, unaware of their best friends' unhappiness and uncaring so much that they don't care to do anything about it. Except complain. They're not being perfect enough hosts for their liking.

In the future, making it clear that there has been a falling out between these friends, Joel and Sharyl visit Grace and Carlo in their small New York apartment. Joel and Sharyl are still putting up a fake façade, but this time about pretending to like their former friends. Grace doesn't care.

"Between Us" has been compared to Carnage. Both films are driven by dialogue between two couples, but that is where the similarity ends. "Between Us" has no comedy and the characters are so ridiculously boring, that I don't care about them. And I shouldn't, they don't care about themselves or anybody else.

There is supposed to be a thriller element, keeping us in an air of suspense as to why these two couples, and best friends, have had a falling out. But this fails for many reasons: there is nothing interesting about this falling out, and they don't really act like friends in the first place, so there is no suspense.

Boring people in uncaring friendships and relationships make "Between Us" a very boring and pointless film.

Who Might Like This: People who like slow-paced relationship dramas; people who don't mind script-less dialogue-driven films; adults who want to see unhappy relationships evolve/de-evolve.