Two Lovers

This week we sat through a weird one. We had put it off long enough and since it was the only new movie at the Plano Angelika Theater – the decision was almost made for us. After seeing Joaquin Phoenix promoting Two Lovers on David Letterman, we could only imagine how much he would entertain us. Maybe the beard is a disguise – he’s taking cover after this performance!

Two Lovers is a depressing drama set in Brooklyn New York. Leonard (Joaquin) is the son of a Russian Jew who helps out (as much as he is emotionally capable of) in the family Dry Cleaning business. It is apparent in the beginning of the film that he is recovering from some kind of mental/emotional breakdown after a breakup and living in his parents apartment while he tests the waters of independence. His mother is played by Isabella Rosselini who masters the portrayal of the loving, concerned and nervous parent of an emotionally, unstable grown man. He is in his mid-thirties, sleeping in a single bed in their two-bedroom apartment. Trying to have a relationship under these circumstances would be almost impossible – especially when the parents are waiting for him to fall and can’t give him an inch of space – peeking under his bedroom door and hovering over his shoulder while he uses the computer. We found Joaquin’s portrayal of Leonard empty and unconvincing and it was frustratingly difficult to understand him whenever he spoke – it almost seemed like he had marbles in his mouth.

So, after discovering a beautiful neighbor through his bedroom window, he falls into a kind of obsessive love with her (Michele - brilliantly presented by Gwyneth Paltrow). Most of the movie is spent watching Leonard spiral into a weird one sided romance with her as she struggles with her own doomed liaison with a married man.

When his father sets him up with a business partner’s daughter, he finds an easy, predictable, safe future lying before him. A nice Jewish wife, a piece of the family business…but which path will he choose?  While we admit to some interesting character insights – the obvious differences between the two women were very well defined – we found the love triangle to be a tired plot.

We rated it 2 out of 5.