What I have always said about being in a love relationship is this: it is not the things you love that keep you together, that is the easy part; it is the things you do not like. If you can handle the tough aspects of your significant other, then it is true love. At least that is what I have found to be true. Watching these characters in the movie, I was not really clear on why they were still married to each other. But no matter, I did laugh at them throughout the film. The script undulated from sad moments to happy ones to pure lunacy, as the actors were all convincing in their roles. The movie takes place within a short span of time; when two sets of parents agree to meet, to discuss the fight their sons had earlier, where one of the boys was injured. The female leads, Jodie Foster (Panic Room, The Silence of the Lambs) and Kate Winslet (Finding Neverland, Titanic) were stronger on screen than the 2 male leads, John C. Reilly (Step Brothers, Chicago) and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds, The Three Musketeers). For me, the two actresses’ characters were the power behind the story. The movie started out strong with tight, perfectly framed scenes from the director, Roman Polanski (The Pianist, Chinatown). However, the story petered out as it got towards the end. I felt all the energy was used up in the 1st half of the movie. Maybe with all the energy coming early on, everyone just got tired by the end.

3 stars