The Lovers

Being of the older generation, I thought I would like this film more than I did.

Debra Winger and Tracy Letts are a married couple with each having an affair and continually postponing telling the other that they're leaving. Thus, they're also stringing along their lovers being unable to fully commit one way or the other. Somehow, this rekindles Winger and Letts' passion for each other sexually.

The movie is very slow-paced, has many awkward moments, but it does contain some deadpan humor that works at times. The film's characters are mostly unlikable and thus I was never really able to invest emotionally in them or really care what happened to them in the end.

Overall, a disappointment to me.

A middle age couple are in the throes of an affair. Both of them.

The subtleties of a middle age relationship will be wasted on the young. Having read the negative reviews here, there's no doubting the reviewer's age. They've completely missed the point. That's fine. It's not for them. I may have felt the same way, once.

For everyone else, this is subtle, poignant, witty, truthful and very funny. It takes you to places you expect, in a natural but charming way and then surprises you. It's a very delicate balance, pulled off beautifully by writer and director.

And what a superb cast. All four of the main parts are played to perfection. These are no hacks. A top notch class act. The Lovers is a wonderfully fresh film for a mature audience. About time.

The only other review so far (by Bastille above) is on the money. He does a good job of describing the acting, script, etc. I would like to add another point, however: it also cleverly examines the issues of love, marriage, lust, and sex and how they are intertwined...or not.

Very creative.

I thought this would escalate much better than it did. It had potential if given in a totally different way. Slow paced and disappointing. Too bad.

I had high hopes for this. It wasn't run-of-the-mill until two things happened that made it jump the shark for me. The first was the behavior of the son, because we weren't sufficiently alerted by the script, and the rekindling of the couple, for me, should have been the finale, and it wasn't, which trivialized all that went before it. So, it left me very anxious, and that is exactly what I want less of. Still, interesting performances by Debra Winger and Terry Letts. Both were credible types for me, Terry more so. I think they evoke a feeling of "I know someone like that." This is why I watched to the end, but as I say, not satisfied.