A Perfect Man

"We haven't talked like that since we first met." Nina (Tripplehorn) and James (Schreiber) are a happily married couple, at least that is what Nina thinks. One day as a joke she follows one of her friends as she heads home. When she catches her with her husband her life is shattered. When she moves out she finds its not as easy to get over him as he thought. In order for closure she calls him as another woman and the romance starts to spark again. This is a hard movie to explain. First of all the synopsis I gave is what I read the movie is about before I started to watch. The only problem with this is that explanation doesn't really seem to be the main focus of the movie. While that is an aspect of it I really think the main plot of the movie is watching how James deals with his actions and how it affects him and everyone and and everything around him. All that said the movie isn't bad but it had the definite feel of a Lifetime movie. The movie itself is a little slow moving and very hard to get into but keep in mind that I am a man and not into the Lifetime-type movies. Overall, another movie where the idea sounds better then the execution. I give this a C+.

I liked the idea of the "reverse" love story. It did an original thing by not going the predictable route.

Review: This is a very simple movie, based in Amsterdam, about a man who has an affair with his work partners wife and blatantly gets caught out by his wife. After her birthday party, she decides to leaves her husband and the rest of the film is about how much they can't live apart. There wasn't that much to the film and I personally found it quite bland and dull. There are a couple of twists along the way, which were pretty predictable and the ending wasn't that amazing. It could have done with a few more interesting characters and some more substance but on the plus side, the acting was OK. It's basically your everyday story about the ups and downs of a relationship, which I got quite bored of after a while. I was hoping for something out of the norm to happen, which it doesn't, but I'm sure that the lovebirds out there will find it slightly entertaining. TV Movie!

Round-Up: Liev Schreiber has certainly had a versatile career. From the action packed X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Salt to deep dramas like the Butler and comedies like Fading Gigolo, he's really covered different genres throughout his career, which started in 1994. At the age of 47, he's not showing any signs of slowing down but I doubt that this film will push him into the mainstream. Jeanne Tripplehorn's claim to fame was her role in The Firm but she hasn't really starred in any major since. I honestly think that Waterworld really destroyed her and Costner's career and there both trying there utmost to get back to were they were at the height of there careers. As for this movie, I was more interested in the dog than the couple, which I totally blame on the director because he didn't give the audience a chance to warm to the cast. Its short an sweet but not my cup of tea.

Budget: $5million Worldwide Gross: N/A

I recommend this movie to people who are into their romance/dramas about a couple who questions there love for each other after the man gets caught having an affair with his wife's best friend. 3/10

Plot

A womanizing husband inadvertently falls back in love with his wife over the phone when she pretends to be another woman.

Cast

Jeanne Tripplehorn and Liev Schreiber are excellent as always, supporting cast? Forgettable.

Verdict

I have an issue with movies where I'm supposed to root for a vile person, I doubly have an issue where I'm watching a supposed love story and they treat each other poorly and it's played out as being fine and they live happily ever after. A Perfect Man is a great example of this, he's a wretched human being who betrays her trust and he's still made out to be a good guy trying to redeem himself. He's a scumbag, undeserving and the story should have ended in the first 10 minutes.

How am I supposed to watch a film like this? Who am I supposed to root for?

Rants

You know the "Girls like bad boys" cliche, I've seen so much of it through my life, women who are beaten and cheated on but make excuses for their spouses and stay with them. I knew one woman who during her 9 year relationship she found out about a dozen different women and was put in hospital 5 times including one that resulted in her having re-constructive surgery! Did she leave him? No. Wanna know how that 9 year relationship ended? At his hands. I'll never understand why women stay with abusive or cheating partners and this movie glamorizes this foolishness.

The Good

Incredible cast

The Bad

Concept is appalling.

It is sad that today's audience always needs to see movies with people getting killed, some T&A, some drugs and bad guys/good guys stories, some mistreatment, rape, abuse, winning over prejudice or physical/ emotional weaknesses.

This movie just takes a slice of a couple's life and makes you wonder if it's the last piece or if they are going to make a new one together.

I really like this movie because it is real. More real than any reality show you might be watching. It's tender and tough, it's sad and hopeful. I like it because it's located in one of my most favorite places: Amsterdam, the picture is beautiful: the directing and filming are great and the acting is impeccable: (As another reviewer wrote) Liev Schreiber is very good, as well as Joelle Carter and Louise Fletcher but the outstanding performance of Jeanne Tripplehorn makes you wonder why we don't see her more often in major productions. Don't get me started with the dog.... How did they get him to play his part so well?

Give this movie a try for the simple reason that it is very well done and tasty. I am sure glad I got to see it.