 |
| STAR RATINGS EXPLAINED |
| Unmissable |
|
| Excellent |
|
| Good |
|
| Poor |
|
| Tragic |
|
|
| FILM DETAILS | Certificate
15 | | Cast
Julianne Moore
David Duchovny
Billy Crudup
Maggie Gyllenhaal. | | Directors
Bart Freundlich. | | Screenwriters
Bart Freundlich. | | Running Time
100 minutes |
|
|
|
Trust The Man
Relationship stuff with David Duchovny and Julianne Moore
Plot
Tom (Duchovny) and Rebecca (Moore) are suffering the doldrums of an ostensibly stable but sexless marriage; Rebecca’s brother Tobey (Crudup) and girlfriend Elaine (Gyllenhaal) are facing his commitment phobia and her desire to settle down. As their situations disintegrate, the four friends cope with infidelity, break-ups — and possible reconciliation. Review
Over the last decade, Bart Freundlich has quietly been carving out a niche for whimsical dramas produced with almost a repertory-theatre-company feel — past alumni include Noah Wyle, Blythe Danner and, returning here, Julianne Moore (Freundlich’s wife) and Billy Crudup. While few of his films have made a box-office splash, Trust The Man sees Freundlich crank up the wry observations to create more broadly comic strokes, and in so doing has created his most accessible and entertaining movie so far. The story, about the relationship woes of four close friends, is simple, if nothing new, and there are niggles. The four lead characters are in truth shockingly — even irritatingly — self-absorbed, and those of a more cynical bent will find the sappy ending dangerously close to trite. Yet while the theme of philandering males letting down demanding females is borderline threadbare, Freundlich’s retread gleans new colour thanks to his sparkling dialogue, the urbane New York setting and great work from his superior cast, all of whom flesh out their roles so that empathy with their respective plights comes easily. David Duchovny in particular is a stand-out, leaving you wondering why he isn’t seen more often on the big screen.
Verdict
Freundlich’s intelligent, very funny take on male-female relationships manages the not inconsiderable feat of being both jaded and appealingly fresh.
Reviewed by Liz Beardsworth
Write Your Review
To write your review please login or register.
Average user rating for Trust The Man
 |
| | I'm a big fan of Freundlich’s film The Myth of Fingerprints, so I went into this with a lot of expectations. I really enjoy his sense of humour and the cast includes some of my favourite actors… Crudup, Gyllenhaal and Duchovny. I was very happy in the end, maybe not as good as Myth of Fingerprints, but I wasn't disappointed. I agree that David Duchovny is excellent in this film. ... More | | | Posted by berentaur at 06:26, 20 October 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: TRUST THE MAN | | Aw I really enjoyed this film. It made me laugh a lot, made me cry, and all the actors/ess were great. I could be biased cause love them all anyway but I think they made the script their own. Yeah it was a fairly lame a story but it did what it needed too and thats really all that mattered! ... More | | Posted by Happy_Feet at 10:19, 28 September 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | | RE: TRUST THE MAN | | This is the lamest rom-com I have seen in a while. The direction is dull, the script has nothing new to say (women want committment, men cheat) and none of the leads have the lightness of touch required for comedy. Why Empire are giving this 3 stars is beyond me. ... More | | Posted by teejay at 18:34, 25 September 2006 | Report This Post | |
| | |
|
|
|
|
