"Blue Valentine" exquisitely nails the joy and heartache of love. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling give tender, frank performances as a couple enjoying the first bloom of romance, and then sparring through its dissolution years down the road.
Writer/director Derek Cianfrance uses an unconventional narrative structure, intercutting scenes of young love between Dean and Cindy with a parallel storyline set a decade or so later, as their marriage crumbles beneath them. From the outset, we know their relationship is doomed, which lends a poignancy to its charming, uncertain inception.
The scene where, on their first date, Dean strums on a ukulele and sings in a funny warble while Cindy dances for him is utterly heartbreaking, because we realize this moment represents the happiest they will ever be together.
Observing the cold stalemate of her parents' marriage, Cindy wonders how she can trust her feelings, since they can fade over time. In the older version of herself, she has reached this point, even if she isn't quite ready to admit it to Dean, or herself.
For his part, Dean seems to have no ambition in life other than being a husband to Cindy and father to their daughter, Frankie (Faith Wladyka). He works a menial job and is content to do so, mainly because it allows him to start drinking with the morning sun, and be home in time to greet Frankie after school.
Cindy, who feels stifled professionally and emotionally, can't comprehend why Dean is so willing to tread water in life when she wants to swim for the far shore. His suggestion of their going to a tawdry couples' motel for a fling in the "Future Room" is a pathetic portrait of their marriage: He thinks they have a future, and she doesn't.
A Sundance hit that didn't light any fires at the box office or awards -- Williams was nominated for an Oscar but, inexplicably, Gosling was not -- "Blue Valentine" is sad, sweet movie-making for grown-ups.
Extras, which are the same for both DVD and Blu-ray editions, are solid if unspectacular. There's a making-of documentary, commentary track, handful of deleted scenes and "home movies" on the set.
A man and a woman stand in a closed storefront. He strums a ukulele and sings in a funny warble, while she dances a high-stepping jig in incongruous accompaniment. They are young, and they are falling in love.
This moment of pure cinematic magic would mark the high point of your average romantic comedy. But in writer/director Derek Cianfrance's "Blue Valentine" it is the crystallization of a heartrending certainty: This is the happiest they will ever be.
Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling star in the most authentic portrayal of romance we've seen in a long time: Its hopeful, giddy beginning and its stagnant, fracturing end.
The story jumps back and forth from the first meeting of Cindy and Dean to the dissolution of their marriage a few years later. The most amazing thing is that if we look closely enough, we can already see the seeds of destruction planted and beginning to take root.
Dean is a fatalist who commits to an idea totally, if not permanently. A high-school dropout who totes boxes for a moving company, he takes one look at college student Cindy and is hooked. He tells his buddies about love at first sight, and when he spies her on a bus Dean moves in with relentless if affectionate determination.
Cindy is ambitious, maybe even wants to be a doctor, and is put off by Dean's contentment at working a menial job. In a frank conversation between their older selves, he's frustrated by her questions about his lack of drive. Work is something I only do so I can get back to you and our daughter Frankie (Faith Wladyka), he replies.
Having seen firsthand how love can drain out of a relationship -- her father barely speaks to her mother, other than to complain about her cooking -- Cindy worries it'll happen to her, too.
"How can you trust your feelings if it can just disappear like that?" she asks her grandmother.
The modern part of the story is rife with recrimination and regret. Cindy carelessly leaves the gate open so the family dog gets out and is run over. Dean, who adores and is adored by Frankie, tells her the dog has gone to Hollywood to star in movies.
Dean comes up with the lame idea of going to a low-rent sex hotel with themed rooms: We'll get drunk and make love, he says, as if that will fill the canyon between them. Given the choice between the Future Room or Cupid's Cove, Dean chooses the science fiction-themed one.
That sums up their relationship right there: Dean wants a future together, and Cindy clearly does not. She hasn't told him only because she hasn't really told herself, either.
The performances by Gosling and Williams are tender, real and nuanced. Their conversations, so easy and engaging when they're younger, turn into low-grade fencing matches.
Cianfrance, who wrote the screenplay with Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne, makes the bold choice of not picking either Dean or Cindy as the bad guy. Both have faults that contributed to their failed relationship, and have acted in ways that are selfish or childish.
Dean's anger is the easiest to understand: He treats his wife and daughter well, and doesn't comprehend why his affection is not returned. Cindy is the realist who realizes you can't create passion, or recapture it once it's fled.
"Blue Valentine" is an exquisitely well-acted drama that gets both the joy and the ache of love just right.
September and October used to be the dregs for movies, but 2010 actually offers a strong lineup for the early fall season, including "The Social Network" and Oliver Stone's "Wall Street" sequel.
November and December are shaping up nicely, too, with the usual spate of serious-minded Oscar hopefuls, not to mention the beginning of the end for "Harry Potter."
Here's a rundown of autumn's film offerings, with my highly subjective take on the buzz surrounding each movie: Tops, Taps or Tipping either way.
Release dates are subject to change.
The Town (Sept. 17) -- Ben Affleck's back in a big way in this gritty drama about a close-knit family of Boston bank robbers. Affleck also directed and co-wrote. Tops
Easy A (Sept. 17) -- Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlett Letter" gets an edgy update in this comedy starring Emma Stone as a high-school loser who becomes notorious when she pretends to be a promiscuous harlot. Tipping
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Sept. 24) -- Everything's cyclical, especially movies and financial markets. Michael Douglas reprises his Oscar-winning role as shark Gordon Gekko, with Shia LaBeouf as his eager new wingman. Tipping
You Again (Sept. 24) -- Kristen Bell plays a beautiful swan forced to revisit her ugly duckling days when confronted with her high school tormenter marrying her brother. Jamie Lee Curtis, as her mother, replicates the conflict with old foe Sigourney Weaver. Tipping
Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (Sept. 24) -- After three ultra-violent flicks, director Zack Snyder ("Watchmen," "300") tackles a PG-rated animated adventure about owls. We'll see if audiences give a hoot. Taps
The Social Network (Oct. 1) -- There's tremendous hype surrounding this cinematic account of the birth of Facebook. Indie star Jesse Eisenberg goes mainstream playing CEO Mark Zuckerberg, depicted as back-stabbing schemer. Directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Aaron Sorkin. Tops
Stone (Oct. 1) -- Here's a creepy love triangle: Robert De Niro plays a parole officer facing retirement, Edward Norton is the skeevy convict who is his last case, and Milla Jovovich plays the criminal's wife who acts as temptress. Tipping
Let Me In (Oct. 1) -- Between "Let the Right One In" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," the Swedes are providing a lot of fodder lately for Hollywood remakes. I'm dubious, but the casting of Chloe Moretz from "Kick-Ass" as a girl vampire lends hope. Tipping
Secretariat (Oct. 8) -- Diane Lane plays Penny Chenery, the dilettante housewife who owned the Triple Crown-winning Secretariat, in a drama more about the woman than the horse. Tipping
Nowhere Boy (Oct. 8) -- Another "Kick-Ass" star, Aaron Johnson, stars in this biopic of a young John Lennon before The Beatles made it big. Tipping
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Oct. 15) -- After the lackluster second installment in the Swedish trilogy about disturbed computer genius Lisbeth Salander, I'm inching toward the delete key. Taps
Red (Oct. 15) -- Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and John Malkovich play retired CIA agents on the run in this spy comedy. The preview with Mirren firing a massive machine gun is strangely compelling. Tipping
Conviction (Oct. 15) -- Another Oscar nomination for Hilary Swank? It's shaping up that way in this true-life story of a high-school dropout who became a lawyer to get her brother's murder conviction overturned. With Sam Rockwell. Tops
The Company Men (Oct. 22) -- Picking up the thematic threads of "Up in the Air," Ben Affleck stars as a hotshot executive who gets laid off, and struggles to pick up the pieces. With Tommy Lee Jones and Kevin Costner. Tops
Hereafter (Oct. 22) -- There's been almost a total information blackout about Clint Eastwood's new movie, other than it stars Matt Damon and has something to do with the afterlife. Let's hope he doesn't go all M. Night Shymalan on us. Taps.
Monsters (Oct. 29) -- This could be the next low-budget sci-fi/thriller to break out, a la "District 9." It's about -- you guessed it -- critters from another planet. Taps
127 Hours (Nov. 5) -- James Franco plays Aron Ralston, a real-life mountain climber who amputated his own arm after being trapped. From "Slumdog Millionaire" writer/director Danny Boyle, so it's got a great pedigree, but the trailer deceptively avoids what the movie is actually about. Tipping
Megamind (Nov. 5) -- Is it me, or does this DreamWorks animated flick seem suspiciously similar to "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"? (Google it.) The evil scientist is the protagonist, and his Superman-ish nemesis plays the heavy. Tipping
Due Date (Nov. 5) -- "The Hangover" director Todd Phillips re-teams with star Zach Galifianakis for another raunchy road trip comedy, this time with Robert Downey Jr. as an expectant father. Tipping
Fair Game (Nov. 5) -- Seven year later, will people remember the Valerie Plame scandal, let alone want to buy a ticket to see a one-sided dramatization starring Sean Penn and Naomi Watts? Taps
Morning Glory (Nov. 12) -- Harrison Ford trades in his bullwhip for a news anchor pompadour in this dramedy about an ambitious TV producer who hires a crotchety journalist to co-host a lightweight morning show. With Diane Keaton and Rachel McAdams. Tops
Unstoppable (Nov. 12) -- Denzel Washington must really like trains, and director Tony Scott. After "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3," he stars (with Chris Pine) in this thriller about a runaway train. Tipping
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part I (Nov. 19) -- And people thought "The Lord of the Rings" milked its finale. The final chapter of the epic journey of a boy wizard, in which Harry goes wand-to-wand with Voldemort, is being split in two. You'll have to wait until July 15 for the real end. Tipping
The Next Three Days (Nov. 19) -- Russell Crowe plays a regular schmo determined to break his wife (Elizabeth Banks) out of prison after she's falsely convicted of murder. With Liam Neeson. Tipping
Love and Other Drugs (Nov. 24) -- Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal are bed-hopping types who hook up, but then he wants to Get Serious in this romantic comedy/drama. Tipping
Tangled (Nov. 24) -- The Rapunzel fairy tale gets a modern updating in this Disney animation movie that emphasizes action/adventure over princesses. Tipping
Black Swan (Dec. 1) -- Director Darren Aronofsky channels Ingmar Bergman's "Persona" in this stylized drama about rival ballet stars. Starring Natalie Portman. Tipping
The Fighter (Dec. 10) -- Mark Wahlberg stars in this biopic about boxer Micky Ward, a never-say-quit type coached by his reformed brother (Christian Bale). Tipping
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Dec. 10) -- After the second film based on the C.S. Lewis fantasy books disappointed, the franchise switched studios and directors -- never a good omen. Taps
How Do You Know (Dec. 17) -- Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd and Owen Wilson play a romantic triangle in what would appear to be another dopey romantic comedy. Except for two things: Writer/director James L. Brooks ("As Good As It Gets") and co-star Jack Nicholson. Tops
TRON: Legacy (Dec. 17) -- A box office flop that became a Gen-X cultural touchstone, the CGI-pioneering film gets a sequel nearly 30 years later. Jeff Bridges reprises his role as a video game designer, inside which his son is trapped. Will anyone born after 1990 care? Tipping
Yogi Bear (Dec. 17) -- Here's a TV retread for those put off by the snooty intellectualism of "Alvin and the Chipmunks." Taps
Country Strong (Dec. 22) -- Hollywood loves movies about down-and-out country singers making a comeback. Gwyneth Paltrow stars, and sings, apparently pretty well. Tipping
Little Fockers (Dec. 22) -- Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro team up a third time as a father and son-in-law odd couple. Sounds naughty, looks crappy. Taps
Gulliver's Travels (Dec. 22) -- A super-sized Jack Black stars in a very divergent adaptation of Jonathan Swift. Taps
Somewhere (Dec. 22) -- After the stylized stumble of "Marie Antoinette," writer/director Sofia Coppola appears to be back in understated "Lost in Translation" mode with this drama about a movie star (Stephen Dorff) downshifting from the high life. The film took top prize at the Vince film festival. Tipping
True Grit (Dec. 25) -- John Wayne's signature role gets remade by the Coen brothers ("No Country for Old Men"). With Jeff Bridges taking over the eye patch of marshal/hired gun Rooster Cogburn. Revisionist Western? Smile when you say that, pilgrim-O. Tipping
The Debt (Dec. 29) -- Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington star in this drama about Israeli agents sent to hunt down a notorious Nazi, only to face recriminations 30 years later. Tops
Blue Valentine (Dec. 31) -- Not too much is known about this romantic drama, other than it stars Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, it jumps around in time, and it was a Sundance favorite. Tops
