Overview
Richard and Rachel, a couple in the throes of infertility, try to maintain their marriage as they descend deeper and deeper into the insular world of assisted reproduction and domestic adoption.
I can’t remember the last time I had such mixed feelings about a film.
First things first – the first 15 or 20 minutes are awful and unnecessarily contributed to a run time of more than two hours. I felt like I was sitting at the doctor’s office next to them waiting to be poked and prodded…. just sitting there killing time. I don’t see why any of the technical details were necessary. Wouldn’t it have been enough to have Hahn crying outside of a doctor’s office after another failed attempt so that we could get to the main story / conflict? If there is one thing that Woody Allen has gotten right in his later years is that you can get right to the story as soon as possible.
The middle part of the film felt rather amateurish. Some of the writing and camera angles just felt awkward and at times it felt very much like a lifetime movie. Giamatti and especially Hahn work their tails off to try to raise the film above all of this.
Towards the end of the film things start to come together and we are left with a perfect final scene. I’ve seen some complain about the ending – if you’re one of them then there are surely lifetime movies for you.
IHATEBadMovies.com reviews Private Life
Movie title: Private Life
Movie description: Richard and Rachel, a couple in the throes of infertility, try to maintain their marriage as they descend deeper and deeper into the insular world of assisted reproduction and domestic adoption.
Date published: 2018-10-12
Director(s): Tamara Jenkins
Actor(s): Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, Kayli Carter, Molly Shannon, John Carroll Lynch, Desmin Borges, Denis O'Hare, Siobhan Fallon Hogan, Emily Robinson, Tracee Chimo, Amaya Press, Francesca Root-Dodson, Samantha Buck, Kerry Flanagan, Danny Deferrari, Alyssa Cheatham, Kelly Miller, Fenton Lawless, Gabrielle Reidy, Caroline Martin
Genre: Drama
My Review
I can’t remember the last time I had such mixed feelings about a film.
First things first – the first 15 or 20 minutes are awful and unnecessarily contributed to a run time of more than two hours. I felt like I was sitting at the doctor’s office next to them waiting to be poked and prodded…. just sitting there killing time. I don’t see why any of the technical details were necessary. Wouldn’t it have been enough to have Hahn crying outside of a doctor’s office after another failed attempt so that we could get to the main story / conflict? If there is one thing that Woody Allen has gotten right in his later years is that you can get right to the story as soon as possible.
The middle part of the film felt rather amateurish. Some of the writing and camera angles just felt awkward and at times it felt very much like a lifetime movie. Giamatti and especially Hahn work their tails off to try to raise the film above all of this.
Towards the end of the film things start to come together and we are left with a perfect final scene. I’ve seen some complain about the ending – if you’re one of them then there are surely lifetime movies for you.
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My Review - 6/10
6/10