Allan Watched "The Wife"
Slowly moving yet endlessly captivating, The Wife gets better and better with every scene and is a masterclass in performance and story writing, even with some predictable stops along the way.
Gut Feeling
There are many intriguing elements to The Wife, the brilliant acting by Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce, the elegant, high-society setting, and the exploration of a family living in the shadow of a famous patriarch, but where this film really succeeds is the patience it shows as the plot unravels and the story’s biggest secrets are revealed.
Close to Her First Oscar
The acting from Price and the ensemble led by Christian Slater is stellar, but the undoubted star of The Wife, is, well, the wife of the story. Glenn Close, who so many times has fallen just short of her first Academy Award, is the front-runner to take home that standing gold guy after delivering yet another emotionally compact and beautiful performance that earned her her third Golden Globe for Best Actress last week.
Close plays Joan Castleman, the wife of the newest winner of the Nobel Prize for literature Joe Castleman (played by Pryce), who is dealing with her husbands newest accomplishments as they brush up against their marital issues and her own sense of value. Close plays off Pryce well, from jumping on the bed in excitement to doing everything in her power to not club him over the head, and the movie moves forward mainly with the two of them alone on screen figuring out how to maintain their family’s prestige. We really see the pain in Close’s eyes as her family’s story gets harder and harder to preserve, right up until the film’s dramatic conclusion.
The best scene, however, is between Close and Slater. Slater plays Nathaniel Bone, a pesky journalist who desperately wants to write Joe’s biography, but after many blunt denials by Joe, Nathaniel is ready to tear down this living legend and unearth the truth about his skills. The scene that stands out is when Joan agrees to get drinks with Nathaniel, and the two try to break the other down with a mix of flirtation, intense questioning and calling each other’s flaw out, all while never raising their voices. It is a scene fit for the stage.
And The Rest
Slater is the star of the supporting cast, but Annie Starke and Harry Lloyd do a great job of bringing the younger versions of Joan and Joe to life in a series of flashbacks. We see Joan as a young, sharp, and extremely talented writer trying to make her way through the boy’s club of authors that shut her down. Then we see a young Joe, a writing professor lacking the ability to bring his stories to life without the help of his student and new lover Joan. Lloyd brings out the necrosis of Joe and his frustration at not being talented enough is palpable, while Joan excels in her writing in the shadows.
We can see the difference between the two Joes, as we see Pryce bring us out of flashbacks with his arrogance and relentless dance between being sick and flirting with other women while stuffing his face. The children, played by Alex Wilton Regan and Max Irons don’t add much to the story, even though Irons, who plays wanna-be writer David, is integral to the overarching plot, he really only has one gear.
Great Writing
Jane Anderson’s script is a delight. It moves slowly, and is at times predictable, but the successful way in which she slowly pulls the threads that reveal the truth about this seemingly perfect family is really effective. The development from bed jumping to complete unrest happens naturally without a missing beat, and the flashbacks are well used and not just plot devices. Every scene in The Wife is better than the one before it, and there is not a superfluous word in the entire film.
Random Thoughts
Seeing the High Sparrow and Viserys Targaryen play the same character made it impossible to focus at times. BringBackGameOfThronesNowThanksBye.
The use of light towards the end of the film was a lovely touch. It was a little on the nose, but I appreciated it.
I haven’y seen Max Irons in much, but is he capable of keeping his head straight up? His head just kinda lops on either side of his neck the entire movie.
The classical scoring is a nice touch to what is a pretty traditional feeling film.
Close won her third Golden Globe for her portrayal of Joan, which was her fourteenth (!!) nomination. Her six Academy Award nominations without a win is tied for the record, but I believe she will snap that this year and take home her first.
I’m pretty sure they use the defibrillator wrong at the end and it took me right out of the dramatic scene.
A couple “my wife” drops, but no true title drops. But this movie is probably too fancy or a good title drop.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time!
Where was I watching it?
On my couch, drinking a seven-hour old coffee.
Favorite trivia about the movie
THE HIGH SPARROW AND THE GUY WHO DOESN’T TRULY HAVE DRAGON’S BLOOD PLAY THE SAME PERSON AND IT’S FINE BUT IS IT APRIL YET I NEED GAME OF THRONES.
Favorite part
The scene with Slater and Close getting a drink is terrific. Slater is so good as the sniveling journalist.
Least favorite part
Sit up straight for one damn second Max.
Would I recommend this movie?
I would. To see one of the best ever at the top of her game should not be ignored.
So What Does Allan Give It?
Two Gold Thumbs Up! Overall, a score of 86. A real treat to watch, and hopefully the film that wins Close her Academy Award. Right Glenn?
