"I didn't want to be somebody's husband and I didn't want to be somebody's dad, that wasn't my goal in life. But somehow it was. I work so I can do that."
With The Place Beyond The Pines, a new movie directed by Derek Cianfrance coming out in like a month or so, i thought I'd watch and review his latest movie, to hopefully get an idea about what kind of experience I'll be in for. I had heard a lot of good things about Blue Valentine, so i was really looking forward to finally seeing it. It was one of the few Ryan Gosling movies i hadn't watched jet, and since he's my favourite actor at the moment, I had high hopes for this one.
Looking at the poster for Blue Valentine, you'd think that it's a story of two people falling in love. Now, it is about love, sure, but not in the good way. It's a sad movie from start to finish, it's main theme being fading love. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are married, they have a kid, work normal jobs, and you can tell from the very start that their relationship is failing. They fight and argue, and every time they get intimate or try to work things out, they end up being pushed even further away from each other.
Even though this movie has flashbacks to when the two main characters first met and fell in love, it's ultimately still sad all the way through. The glimpses of how happy Gosling and Williams used to be only serve to make you feel even worse about watching their marriage fall apart bit by bit, and when it was finished, Blue Valentine made me question whether i want to get married myself, it's just that sad. Do NOT watch this movie with your girl- or boyfriend if you guys already have a few rough edges in your relationship, just don't.
Blue Valentine is beautifully acted, there's no denying that fact, but it had no story arch. Nothing spectacular or interesting really happens, there's no suspense or drama or anything, it's just a tale of two unhappy people, where nothing really happens. I'd say the climax of the movie was when Ryan Gosling takes his shirt off, and for that to be the most exiting part of a 2 hour movie, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bored at times. The scene that the two spend in some creepy motel room was especially boring to me, and watching Michelle Williams take care of her grandmother was dull as well.
Gosling is an amazing actor, that's just the way it is, and his performance is one of the things that lifted this movie a bit for me. He's such a versatile performer, and the fact that he agreed to have his hair cut in order to look like a 40-year old was pretty cool to me, considering how great his haircut normally is. I mean, take a look at this picture and then at this one, and tell me that's not the true definition of dedication. The kid in the second picture was surprisingly one of my favourite parts of Blue Valentine, and that comes from a guy who normally hates kids, especially in movies. She's really cute in this one, and you can tell she had a good time filming the few scenes she was a part of.
I really wanted to like this movie, and i kinda did, yet at the same time i kinda didn't. My mother always says that a good movie won't leave you feeling sad after watching it, and usually i disagree, because movies rarely leave you with just that. In the case of Blue valentine though, that's exactly the case. No one ended up being happy or having found love, no problems were solved, and goslings hair line only got worse and worse. Despite being endlessly sad, Blue Valentine had some funny and a few sweet moments, and great acting all the way through. I can't say that i regret watching it, and because of this I'm gonna say Blue Valentine was worth the watch, even though i got close to facepalming a few times. (3/6)
Blue Valentine IMDb page here
Blue Valentine trailer here
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