All those Golden Globe nominations, and barely anyone has seen it yet. Talk about some good press.
Now that 'Blue Valentine' has won its appeal against an NC-17 rating (mostly for an oral sex scene), the film is hitting theaters in limited and then full release. We'll finally get to see what the buzz is all about.
Set in Brooklyn, the film is about the breakdown of a marriage. Not exactly uplifting stuff. If you get to see it this weekend, submit your review; we'll feature the best reviews right here next week.
Synopsis (via Fandango)
BLUE VALENTINE is a story of love found and love lost told in past and present moments in time. Flooded with romantic memories of their courtship, Dean and Cindy use one night to try and save their failing marriage. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams star in this honest portrait of a relationship on the rocks.
While Cindy has blossomed into a woman with opportunities and options, David is still the same person he was when they met, and is unable to accept either Cindy's growth or his lack of it. Innovatively structured, the narrative unfolds in two distinct time frames, juxtaposing scenes of first love and youthful sexuality, with those of disenchantment and discord.
Professional Reviews:
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly:
Blue Valentine is lushly touching and gorgeously told. By the time the film is over, you may feel that you know every inch of these lives. That's because Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams act without a net. The two have moments that make you melt...
There are real demons here -- in him, and in her, too. Yet Blue Valentine wrenches us with its painful and tender understanding of how people with even this tattered a connection can lunge for love as if it were air.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone:
After being slammed with a restrictive NC-17 rating by the mega-dumb ratings board, Blue Valentine won an R rating on appeal without having to cut a scene or lower its sexual temperature. Good news. This wrenching story of a marriage that rides a roller coaster for six tumultuous years is not to be missed. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams give two of the most explosive and emotionally naked performances you will see anywhere. Just know you're in for a workout.
Scott Tobias, NPR:
Because Blue Valentine announces itself as a breakup movie from the start, the most tender and happy moments between Cindy and Dean tend to be among the most devastating, too. Breakups naturally bring a couple's romantic history rushing to the fore -- the mind plays back the ugly fights and missteps, to say nothing of the sweetest memories -- but in showing us that history as it accumulates, Cianfrance gives the film a heartbreaking resonance. Blue Valentine sets past and present on course for a collision, and measures the full weight of its impact.