User reviews

Greetings again from the darkness. Having seen the trailer a few times, I had pretty much decided this was not one I would see. Then I saw Roger Ebert raving about it and since he is a movie critic god, it was obvious I needed to see it.

Now I am not going to write the great Mr. Ebert and ask for my money back, but I must admit I am somewhat baffled by his comments. While there are moments of brilliant intimacy, for the most part this movie is just about the arc of 90% of the relationships today. I wish that were more of a compliment, but instead I compare this to "Before Sunset", the obnoxious remake to Richard Linklater's 1994 gem "Before Sunrise". In other words, it is 2 plus hours of listening to two fairly unlikeable people TALK incessantly about themselves and their relationship. This is definitely no "My Dinner With Andre".

Of course, writer/director Jeff Lipskey tosses is many more characters ... probably too many ... to show the complexities within this or any other relationship. Julianne Nicholson and Justin Kirk are the couple and while Ms. Nicholson exudes a camouflaged charm, Mr. Kirk is little more than a smarmy, unable to communicate about anything important dude who is just like most guys. We pretty much dislike him from the opening scene in the café when his self-centeredness is obvious to all but Ms. Nicholson.

I know little of Mr. Lipsky, but I am not sure if his objective was to visualize the issues of most relationships, point out the lack of judgment exhibited by most women when choosing a partner or some other deep philosophical issue. All I know is that the ending was obvious from the inane opening sequence, although there were some very poignant moments in between.

The best part of the film may be the closing credit song "Thursday" by Asobi Soksu. As for Roger Ebert, my opinion of him is not damaged one bit, as what makes watching movies so wonderful is the slight chance that one may hit you where it counts. "Flannel Pajamas" did this for him, but not for me.

They tried to make a grown-up film about why people fall in and out of love. They took a chance in a daring way to deal with a fundamentally adult story. They should be congratulated for that. The thing is...they failed.

The biggest problem with this film is the writing and editing. They characters are unsympathetic (needy in a "worst of Woody Allen" way). They tell you what the characters are, but the don't back it up with deeds. They just say the words and you're supposed to believe it. They should have shown it.

Instead, too much time is spent in silent prolonged emptiness that is meant to be profound. Did the editor know what the term pacing means? If every dull scene is prolonged by silence from minute one to minute one-hundred twenty...you lose the meaning of the pause. It's suppose to have a tempo.

The simple act of dropping the first and last five frames of every scene would have made this film almost enjoyable and taken 15 minutes off the running time. One scene where a fully nude Julianne Nicholson stands in front of a row of windows goes on so long that I out of sheer boredom spent the time counting the freckles on her body. I counted 27,342 myself. You are free to do your own count. Counting Julianne Nicholson's freckles (as adorable as they are) doesn't make a film.

If someone knows a good editor, have them take a crack at this picture. They couldn't help but improve it.

Flannel Pajamas is the new independent film about the relationship of two individuals who go through the step-by-step analysis from first-time meetings, to eventual physical affection and then emotional exchanges. Unknown writer/director Jeff Lipsky deconstructs the abnormal psyche of two people, Stuart (Justin Kirk) and Nicole (Julianne Nicholson) and shows the viewer intangible sphere of their association.

Admiring the courage of two leading performances would be an understatement. Kirk and Nicholson completely engage themselves in their respective roles. The story begins with Stuart and Nicole meeting on a double date. Flirting, paranoia, dilemma, and heated discussion both fuel each other to more intrigue in the other. After their meeting we begin on their relationship road, and a very bumpy road at that. At first, the two seem like such a perfect match despite their differences. Stuart is a confident, money making man, who gives off the sense of inner-conflict but exceptional at hiding it from the viewer as well as Nicole. Nicole on the other hand, has a cute as a button persona who just happens to be living in an apartment with a communal bathroom. Her yearn for a man with financial and emotional stability is evident and Stuart seems to be the answer for her.

Unfortunately the film's emotional centers aren't really there. Even though you can find a bit of every love/relationship film ever made in this film, some real life issues need not to be shared. Lipsky's heart was in the right place when writing the film but his choices of leading the viewer through the tale were falsified by the fact that this is a love/relationship film. Justin Kirk, best known for his bravura performance in Angels in America, completely wears his role with such confidence and inevitable downfall of Stuart is shown remarkably by Kirk. The meeting with Nicole's Anti-Semitic mother gives Stuart the freedom to stretch out his legs and walk through a film which many will/have not enjoyed and give it a more even potent center.

Julianne Nicholson gives that brave and tortured performance that every actor dreams of. Despite spending half the film in the nude that is not the reason why it is "brave" as some critics like to throw in when someone does spend screen time like that. It's what she does when she's clothed and unclothed and her expression of words, her facial transformations in an instance, and even more, giving Nicole a sensitivity and humanity of sheer velocity. In the coming years, I have a feeling we could be hearing Nicholson's name at some award ceremonies.

Although I'm afraid the performances aren't enough to carry a film like this through to the end. Hallow centers and underdeveloped characters are just too much of an imperfection in portrait already pre-painted a little fuzzy. Engagement is vague but emotion is manifested wonderfully.

Grade: **1/2/****

Just saw this at Cinema Arts in Huntington NY and I wonder why the negative comments are so nasty. This film is exactly what it claims to be - an independent film, made with limited resources by hardworking actors who give it their all. While all the characters may not be appealing, they are all interesting and have something to say. The younger brother (Jordan), for example, was fascinating. The two leads were excellent and had chemistry that is hard to find in so called major movies. Nicole may have had one or two too many nude scenes, but that's OK. Justin Kirk really caught his character and his dialogue and delivery was excellent. The film could be 20 minutes shorter with tighter editing and might be more enjoyable and have fewer head-scratching scenes. What was the conversation between the mother and the husband in the hospital cafeteria all about and where did it lead to? All in all a six or seven and worth seeing, in my opinion.

Treat yourself to a cinematic love affair via the extremely personal, impressively detailed romantic drama Flannel Pajamas. In what is surely one of the most perceptive and intelligent scripts to emerge this decade detailing the intense highs and lows of a relationship, viewers are treated to an insiders look at the birth, fruition and eventual apathetic demise into one of the most richly detailed and believable love stories recently released. Credit the realistic script from director Jeff Lipsky, and two stellar, honest and open lead performances from Justin Kirk and Julianne Nicholson for skyrocketing this modest indie production into the history books of romantic cinema.

In detailing the exquisitely realized courtship, Lipsky's script (occasionally clunky and verbose amongst a majority of truthful ranting) taps into both harmonizing and colliding mentalities with equal passion and resonance, coming across as if were actually penned by two extremely intimate lovers. The amazing comfort these two leads bring to the table only helps bring the richly detailed dialog past the point of a petty fictionalization, and almost let's the viewer live vicariously through their most intimate moments in a completely engaging and believable manner. These characters may not be fleshed out to the satisfaction of some viewers and may remain irrelative to even more, yet the objective analysis this filmmaker has dedicated into studying the mechanics behind their vested interest remains unshakable. Of course, most films would be not be complete without some flaws, and for all the sheer integrity invested in portraying the sanctity of this partnership in a truthful light, the small budget feature does become bogged down with subplot's, supporting characters, and a weary conclusion that does not quite know how to finalize itself.

Suffering from your typical "third act syndrome", Flannel Pajamas follows a captivating lover's arc into a final act that betrays the intense honesty and character integrity found throughout for a resolution that feels ambiguous at best, and a closing scene that feels entirely unintuitive. Still, more mature, dialog-driven viewers will be hard pressed to find anything as substantial in the way of an honest love story told in the most human way possible that has come out in recent memory, which more then makes up for a weak conclusion.

"Flannel Pajamas" opens with the meeting of Stuart and Nicole at a dinner party. Despite Stuart trumpeting his life philosophy in a narcissistic monologue, romance blooms, and by evening's end the pair are clearly besotted with each other. The film's Indie credentials are established over the next half hour with some fairly explicit love scenes, which add little to either plot or character development. In due course the lovers marry, put on their clothes and start criticizing each other - immediately transforming their bedroom's erotic intimacy into a zone of estrangement. Nicole gripes that Stuart doesn't listen to her and won't talk about his issues - while remaining secretive about her own. With communication and tenderness in short supply, the marriage turns rancid as complaints and evasions take center stage.

A troupe of peripheral characters come and go, priming the audience for plot-lines that never materialize, leaving "Flannel Pajamas" full of loose threads and soggy with irrelevant material. Most viewers will probably have had enough of this tiresome twosome long before the curtain falls.

I really disliked this movie. I gave it a 3 because the story was told well (no obvious plot flaws, it seemed to flow pretty well), I just really didn't like the story that was told or any of the characters in the film. The male lead was so creepy from the beginning. He was so manipulative--it reminded me of 9 1/2 weeks a little. I didn't care for any of the characters so it was hard to sit through the movie. If the aim was to make a movie that made viewers uncomfortable, then it was successful. I was excited to see this movie because it generated good buzz, but it made me question buzz that comes out before anyone sees the movie. How can reviewers give it positive press if they haven't seen it? It seems counterintuitive.

Flannel Pajamas was intelligent. The dialogue is exceptionally well written and manages to keep the viewer in the movie - as most good "Indie" flicks often do. It is more of a character/relationship study than anything. These types of movies often get overlooked when it comes to critics or the general public. It is understandable how someone who likes "XXX" with Vin Diesel would hate this movie - opposite ends of the spectrum. Likewise, for those of you that loathe the unimaginative huge budget big-named action films that pollute Hollywood and movie screens across the country, you'll love this one. Flannel Pajamas is a much needed break from the mainstream.

Julianne Nicholson and Justin Kirk have excellent chemistry together, doing a superb job of portraying a couple adapting to modern-day problems that threaten to tear them apart. It comes together as a poignant love story of opposites attracting and making it work.

The best thing about Flannel Pajamas was the trailer. I was so enticed by the promise of an honest, painfully simple what-do-new-york-couples-fight-about story, i went to an advance showing at the Angelika the day it opened in New York. The audience was thrilled when the director tore through beforehand to let us know he'd come back after the film for Q+A. Two painful hours later, same audience tripped over itself in a mad dash for the door as an usher reminded us that we were invited to stay for Q+A with Jeff Lipsky.

The opening scene is annoying - there's something oddly dated - as if the film is set in the early 90s but most likely that the director is a few years out of touch with popular culture. I am in awe of how poorly written, directed, acted and produced Flannel Pajamas was. I wanted to love Julianne Nicholson as the sensitive Nicole Reilley but the character was so poorly written, so simultaneously underdeveloped and desperate for my empathy that I couldn't even muster up annoyance! Justin Kirk lent an immediate air of seediness to the male lead - Stuart Sawyer - that I'm not sure should have been there. Maybe it was Kirk, but I think it was more likely Mr. Lipsky's inability to direct an overwhelming cast of characters. There are too many characters, too many empty conversations, too many overthought, underfelt scenes, too many words and not enough, not NEARLY enough sentiment.

Rebecca Schull as Nicole's mother is the movie's only redeeming point; she's wonderful.

I wanted to love this movie if that counts for anything. I wouldn't even recommend it for your Netflix queue...

A remarkable movie. This very New York "scenes from a marriage" traces the trajectory of a relationship from horny, starry-eyed romance to abandonment and desolation. It's funny, clever, romantic, sexually frank, emotionally raw, and painfully believable in ways that we forget movies can be (because we so seldom see movies that are). The dialogue is fast, slick, surprising, literate, and delivered with awesome skill by all the actors. Scripts like this must be what actors live for. Every performance is a gem, and the secondary characters are delineated as memorably as the leads (special kudos to Jamie Harold as the charismatic nut-case brother, and Chelsea Altman as the heroine's poisonous best friend). Scene after scene left me grinning with admiration for the writer and the performers, but if I had to pick one highlight it just might be the sparring match between the young husband Stuart (Justin Kirk), and his mother-in-law Elizabeth (Rebecca Schull) in the hospital cafeteria, about three quarters into the movie. Watch for it. If you let these characters under your skin, the movie will leave you aching in the end. The last few shots are more wrenching than any I've seen in a long while. Not to be missed, especially if you love sharp writing and great ensemble acting. I hadn't even heard of this movie until recently, and few recent movies to spin through my disk player have surprised, delighted, and moved me like this one. The movie is an extra special treat if you know NY City.

Film follows the relationship between two thirty something New Yorkers through their first date, courtship, marriage, and eventual breakup. Interesting concept but this film is in dire need of an editor.

Film begins with a blind date at a diner where the two main characters meet. I was looking forward to experiencing the initial awkwardness of the first date; the small talk and uncomfortable moments which would then gradually transform into two people connecting on a more intimate level. Instead, the film starts mid date at the diner with the main characters and their friends who are distracting and don't need to be there. To make matters worse, Stuart (Justin Kirk) comes off as arrogant, and a bit smarmy. Nicole (Julianne Nicholson)is a mousy, dull young woman who appears to lack confidence. If you don't like the characters, who cares whether they like each other? A subsequent scene has Stuart in the rain lying his jacket between the curb and the cab so Nicole doesn't get wet, then leaves it there. This comes off more stupid than charming.

As the film progresses, Justin Kirk as Stuart does begin to tone things down and the character starts to become more likable as the couple's relationship develops. But then, Nicole begins to become more selfish, childish, and immature. Nicole's change in her feelings toward Stuart seems to come somewhat out of the blue. All this results in an ending that is a downer and a bit puzzling. The actors do what they can, but the writing, directing, and editing let them down.

Lots and lots of dialog here and unnecessary scenes that don't move the story. Also, several unnecessary characters and plot lines are introduced but fail to have much significance. Decent supporting performances, however, especially by Rebecca Schull as Nicole's mom. Also a surprising amount of nudity by both lead characters which was tastefully done.

"Flannel Pajamas" does have some important things to say about the difficulty in sustaining relationships today, especially with so many outside influences such as family, friends, and careers. Still, I'm not convinced that investing two hours in these characters was quite worth it.

I hated the characters. I didn't take sides with either of them because they were both very easy to dislike. This made the movie strange to me. In other movies, sometimes I have came across feeling sympathetic for the bad guy, or even rooting for them, but in this movie I just wanted the two leads to quit being so annoying.

Then it hit me. The reason it was so annoying is because it reminded me of personal experiences and people I interact with everyday. The movie ended up being very realistic once I gave it a chance... and I'll admit, it took me over 1.5 hours before I gave it that chance.

Once it was over, I appreciated my life. It touches on subjects that we have all faced and most of all, it touched on feelings we have all had.

As much as I hated it, I also loved it. If you like to give movies a chance and you have 2 hours of time with lots of patience, I'd recommend giving it a try.

I am a HUGE Stephanie March and a fan of Julianne Nicholson as well, so when i first heard about this movie almost 18 months ago i was excited to say the least. Last week while i was visiting family in NY, we stopped by this little indie theater to see what was playing. and there it was--the poster i'd been waiting to see! even more remarkably, the theater on Long Island was the only theater in the country that was showing flannel pajamas (it had only been released a week earlier)...and I just happened to be there. needless to say i was psyched; little did i know.

stephanie march was absolutely beautiful (as always), for the five minutes she was on the screen. the other 179 minutes of the movie, however, was a slow torture. nothing happened! My hyper-active aunt took a nap, and my cousin played games on her cell phone. the movie could have easily been an hour shorter without losing anything.

bottom line: this movie was poorly scripted, extremely drawn out and had next to no plot.

Jeff Lipsky's touching, poignant, and strikingly honest portrayal of a young couple's long-term relationship—from the initial meeting during a tempestuous blind date to their highly libidinous courtship to their marriage and ultimate downfall—engenders a film that, for once, is truly deserving of the comparison to the inimitable work of John Cassavetes and Mike Leigh.

Quiet (no music that I can remember, less the title credits and the absolutely fantastic original song from the trailer that was tacked on to the end credits), stark, and extremely naturalistic in its execution, FLANNEL PAJAMAS is one of those truly adult films in line with the ilk of Mike Nichols' CLOSER, in which there is no room for clichés, no time for hackneyed aphorisms, and only an earnest reality presented in a forum that is always vivifying, sometimes humorous, and wholly infused with the utmost humanity.

I rented this based on good reviews from the likes of Ebert and I agree with another reviewer here...this movie fails to deliver and Ebert, I want my money back.

Justin Kirk is always delicious and rich and gives passionate performances...here I was like UGH, shut up. Same with Julianne Nicholson. I disliked every single character in this movie. This is not the wonderful actors' faults. No, this is a Jeff Lipsky problem. This is apparently a semi-autobiographical story and it perhaps director is too close to subject matter and doesn't see the major flaws in the story he has written here. HUGE holes...I imagine Jeff writing some of these scenes from memory (as I have done in my writing) and failed to step away...look at it with new naked eyes and say...hmmm, lots of holes here because drama and movies are not real life...real life needs filling out to be put on screen.

I am really shocked how un-fleshed-out these characters all are...how unlikable they all are and how this movie got Justin K to appear to be not a great actor.

I recommend this movie for writers and actors so that they may witness writing and performance that is not great, not horrible but terribly flawed...see if you can figure out how this movie could have been better...S**t, it could have been brilliant.