Maridos e Esposas

Woody Allen makes good, very good, and excellent films.

Husbands and Wives is a very good film with excellent performances. It is not a comedy but rather a dramedy that explores marriages and relationships of four main characters. It has several funny moments and dialogs (it is Allen after all) but it has disturbing and sad scenes, too.

When Jack and Sally (Sidney Pollack and Judy Davis) announce that they're separating, this comes as a shock to their best friends Gabe and Judy (Allen and Farrow). They start to reevaluate their own marriage only to find out that it is not as perfect as they thought. Very soon Jack and Sally, and then Gabe and Judy start to meet new people - young, bright, and attractive. They all hope that new is better, and for some of them it is true while the others come to understanding that true love involves loving another's imperfections even when very well aware of them.

This film is for all husbands and wives, lovers, and partners around the world. It is for couples who've been in a relationship for a month, a year, or decades. It is for singles who are ready or who think they want to enter a relationship. It is also for people who don't. All of us have been or may find ourselves in a situation or relationship or having a conversation like the ones in the Allen's film. All of us think and talk about love, trust, understanding, fidelity, sex, and yes - marriage.

The best scenes of the film belong to Allen and Farrow. Some of their conversations in the movie probably reflect the situation in their own relationship that ended soon after the film was made. It is the last film Allen made with Farrow.

Judy Davis played the role of her carrier practically stealing the film. I was shocked to find out that she received all possible Critics Awards that year and lost Best Supporting Oscar to Marisa Tomei. I love Tomei's performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992) but nomination itself would've been enough. Davis was the Best Supporting actress (I saw all films with nominated performances). Sidney Pollack (The Oscar winning director of Out of Africa and two times nominee for Tootsie and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) and Liam Nisson were wonderful. I did not like Juliet Lewis at all. What she did adorably in Cape Fear with De Niro for ten minutes scene, she tried to stretch for over an hour here - did not work, IMO.

I like "Husbands and Wives" - it was interesting to watch, and it left me thinking if such thing as perfect relationship is ever possible, and what it would take to not only find it but to keep it.

Woody Allen really knows how to write good male and female characters.

A married couple, Sally (Judy Davis) and Jack (Sydney Pollack), tell their best friends--another married couple named Gabe (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow)--that they are separating. This news throws Gabe and Judy into a tailspin. It makes them reexamine their own marriage and find it lacking. Meanwhile Sally starts seeing a handsome, romantic man (Liam Neeson) and Jack is living with a girl at least 30 years his junior. This film follows what happens to them over the course of a year.

A fascinating film. I'm not married (or even straight) but I don't think that matters--this is about love, sex and relationships and has dialogue and situations that anyone can relate to. Allen's script is right on target--the insights are just incredible, and we slowly begin to see exactly how all of the four main characters really are. During the film they are all interviewed by a never seen person--these interviews really help the story and reveals how everybody feels about the others. It pulls everything together.

The acting is almost all great. Allen and Farrow were living together when this was filmed--when it was released they were in a bitter custody battle. This movie actually provides insight to WHY they broke up--their argument scenes are just a bit too realistic. Davis and Pollack are just superb in their roles. They let you feel their characters pain and confusion--just great acting. Neeseon isn't asked to do much but he is very affecting in his scenes. However Juliette Lewis is terrible as a college student. Her voice is nasal and whiny and her acting is pretty lousy--but it doesn't ruin the film.

I saw this back in 1992 in a theatre and loved it. Twelve years later I STILL love it. A great film. I'm only giving this an 8 though. There are two big faults with this film: the hand-held jittery camera work being the main one. My guess is Allen filmed it this way to make the film more immediate and give it a documentary feel. It works but it IS distracting. Also it gets a little repetitious towards the end. Still this is well worth seeing. Recommended.

"Match Point" was the movie that converted me into a Woody Allen-fan. I had literally hated the man's work, but suddenly I found that these movies really spoke to me more than before. I guess you just have to grow older and get a little life experience before you can appreciate Woody Allen's fabulous writing. Lately, I've been catching up on his filmography and was blown away by his immense power of observation. Out of all his classic movies that I've seen in the past couple of days "Husbands And Wives" made the biggest impression so far. This movie is fearless, honest and true. Allen really hits the nail on the head with this one.

Unlike movies like "Crimes And Misdemeanors" or the aforementioned "Match Point" (which are both great) "Husbands And Wives" isn't laden with symbolism and there are no highly philosophical thoughts to be found. The movie is merely depicting the universal truth that it's tough to remain honest and passionate in a marriage. Masterfully Allen shows his struggling characters in all their weaknesses without ever making them unlikeable. These characters falter between loyalty, fear of loneliness and an undeniable desire for passion. Everybody who's ever been in a longtime relationship will be able to identify with these problems, but only the brave ones will be able to admit that to their partner.

That's the beauty of this movie. Allen says what everybody else is either too afraid or too hypocritical or simply unable to. "Husbands And Wives" shows what the fewest people understand: the egoistical side of "love", the way we cling to relationships because we're afraid of being alone, but also the simple fact that sometimes we need to lose something to understand how much we need it. Even when there's still love we can reach a point where we lie and betray the other person, just because sometimes people are confused about their lives and their feelings.

Nobody has voiced our confusion about love and death as accurately as Woody Allen and he's rarely done it better than here. "Husbands And Wives" is recommendable for everyone, especially couples, but be prepared that watching this might lead to uncomfortable discussions. The truth is hardly ever convenient.

"Husbands and Wives" is a Woody Allen´s film for mature audiences that has not aged and gets better with the years. Jack and Sally and Gabe and Judy are best friends. When the first couple announces that they are going to split up to have new experiences, the initial shock to Gabe and Judy reverts to questioning of their own marriage with a surprising conclusion. This simple storyline about separation processes on the hands of Woody Allen turns into a funny and thoughtful film, supported by a great cast and witty dialogues and situations. This is a movie that can be seen and assessed from time to time. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil0: "Maridos e Esposas" ("Husbands and Wives")