Monogamy

I enjoyed the beginning and very end of this film, but in the middle where the engaged photographer gets lost while his fiancée is in the hospital I really felt like quitting. If you can endure him getting a ukulele in the gift shop, you've got way more grit than I. And his inability to come up with even one good line to explain why his beautiful girl should stay with him? Aw, come on! How can he be that stupid?! I just couldn't believe anyone could be so entirely clueless as our hero in the aimless witless wandering inner 30 minutes of this film. Maybe if you've got a fast-forward that could allow you to watch the loser less closely—as you'd speed-read or skim through some scenes you can't enjoy in an otherwise good book—then you could rate this much higher than I can for the way it sags in its excruciatingly dimwitted longueurs. I know theoretically I shouldn't hold it against the film itself that its hero is such a sap; but he's such an incredibly stupid jerk for such a while, I just can't forgive the movie for making me share his bad company!

I have no idea what my title means. But it was either that or attempt a lame pun about the Japanese art of paper folding.

"Monogamy" is a slow, stylish pseudo thriller about infidelity. But before you race into this expecting something racy like "Fatal Attraction", cool your jets, have a cup of General Foods International coffee and cuddle with your cat on the couch because it's more of that kind of movie. What I mean is that there aren't any erotic elevator sex scenes or boiling bunnies here; instead it's more of a deep, probing psychological exposé of a less-than-enthusiastic couple as they approach their wedding day. But it's told through an interesting story.

The story is about a photographer, "Theo" (Chris Messina), who is engaged to a musician "Nat" (Rashida Jones). Just as the sparks in their relationship are dying down, Theo takes on an assignment to candidly photograph the mysterious "Subgirl" (Meital Dohan) without her knowing. Thus, the stage of voyeurism is set, and when Subgirl starts doing naughty things, Theo begins to get obsessed.

Theo is not obsessed with desire, but rather he's obsessed with the notion that Subgirl and her liaison are engaging in extramarital affairs. And this begins to eat him up, causing him to be both jealous and secretive toward his fiancée Nat. As his obsession grows creepier, so the fiber of their relationship gets strained, and we begin to witness the downside of marriage before it has even occurred.

It may be useful to note that the writer/director of this film, Dana Adam Shapiro, in 2012 wrote the book "You can be right, or you can be married". I haven't read it, but we can guess from the title that it's not exactly a celebration of wedded bliss. It's a series of interviews with divorced couples, touching on the problems that led to their splits.

"Monogamy" fits in line with that description, and although it's listed by IMDb as a romance, it's hardly that. It might be worthy of note to mention that Dana Adam Shapiro has never been married, and neither have I. So I was able to enjoy this somewhat cynical portrayal of (impending) marriage objectively. If you are currently married... well, for starters do NOT watch this movie with your spouse unless you want a truly awkward evening. You might actually be more comfortable watching "Fatal Attraction" and reassuring each other that nobody's bunny will be boiled. "Monogamy", on the other hand, has a way of getting under your skin and making you wonder if there is such thing as everlasting fidelity.

The cinematic style is very artistic, making use of striking images, dramatic lighting and hand held camera work that keeps you in the "reality" zone. The darkness of the film lends itself to a menacing quality that makes you feel uncomfortable about everything. I would compare the style to the excellent films of Jay Anania & James Franco (Shadows & Lies, The Letter) as well as maybe Stephen Soderbergh (Sex Lies & Videotape, Magic Mike), particularly in regard to "real world" dialogue that seems improvised due to the natural delivery of the actors. This is definitely not a glossy Hollywood romance, so check it out if you're looking for something different.

If you have a short attention span, "Monogamy" may border on monotony. But hey, it's better than a boring night playing Monopoly. Or getting a lobotomy. OK I can stop now.

It starts off slow and dull and then gets even slower and duller. There's some entertainment value in seeing New York City from the Brooklyn side, but that palls after a few sequences. There's so little to commend this film, and even the stars can't make it interesting enough to be worth a watch. Avoid.

A small Tribeca Film Fest entry, Monogamy has a nice and respectable performance at its heart (Rashida Jones -- The Social Network, I Love You Man, "Parks and Recreation"); but the story boggles itself down with a delirious subtext of obsession that I found distracting and overly time-consuming.

The story is about a young NYC couple a few months away from their upcoming marriage -- Jones and Chris Messina (Julie & Julia, Devil, Away We Go) -- who come upon a rough spot in their relationship. A wedding photographer by day who has grown bored with the monotony and routine of it all, Theo (Messina) starts up a side job which has clients contact him to take voyeuristic photographs of them (in secret).

Theo quickly becomes obsessed with his latest client known as "Subgirl" and, well, his obsession takes over not only his life and relationship but the film as well. It became too consuming for this viewer because (at the film's beginning) Monogamy appeared to be about the couple (equally!). Unfortunately and frustratingly (for us), about thirty minutes into the film there are longs spells with NO Jones (she disappears!) ... and this hurts the film (just as it would a relationship).

The story is a decent one -- one about fidelity and devotion -- but it takes some spills with Theo's perplexed mind. While the story is realistic and the relationship at its core doesn't appear to be "acted" (well done by both Messina and Jones); I think the film took too many strolls from the narrative thread that mattered and in doing-so relegated Jones to a minor character (again ... a drastic error!).

That the film isn't consistent would be my biggest complaint of Monogamy. I liked what I saw until what I saw didn't matter (such as Jones taking the backseat in her own movie) ... and that is about a third of the film while Theo is busy being a voyeur.

That -- itself -- is kind of strange/ironic as voyeurism is "watching" and those scenes were the least-watchable ones in Monogamy. This film isn't ALWAYS pleasant and happy and that is as it should be. It is a realistic depiction of a crumbling and strained relationship that is faced with questions that those involved might not want to answer and/or face. I do know that if Rashida Jones hadn't basically been written-out of half of the film, Monogamy would have been better than it is.

Theo (Chris Messina) is a Brooklyn wedding photographer with girlfriend Nat (Rashida Jones). He starts a side business Gumshoot to take faux voyeuristic pictures of his clients. Nat is taken aback by his client Subgirl (Meital Dohan). He starts stalking the mysterious woman. Nat is hospitalized for a minor injury and they're planning for their wedding. It all comes to a head and he breaks up with her.

This needs more drama. The Subgirl character is almost a red-herring. The movie needs a powerful scene between her and Theo. He's not that compelling. His drama is all in his head. This could be "Blowup" but it doesn't have nearly enough of moody or style. These are interesting actors especially Rashida Jones but there isn't enough of much else.