LOVE IS STRANGE – The Review

Mere weeks ago a few film goers endured another attempt by Hollywood to explore romance amongst the senior set with the tepid, timid farce AND SO IT GOES, a cutesy “sit-com” inspired trifle with Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton. Now, let’s get a bit more serious and real. For that we must veer away from sparkly “tinsle town” and set our sights for “indy”, as in low-budget independent, village. Speaking of villages, this film is set in several of Manhattan’s village neighborhoods. Oh, and the seniors here are two men played by a couple of seasoned screen vets. Being set in the present day, this couple “of a certain age” are finally able to legally wed. Now this should be the “lived happily ever after” fadeout, but life’s too complicated for that. Much like the 2012 foreign film hit AMOUR, the golden years for this couple turn out to be the most difficult. But unlike that French couple, these men don’t cope with disease. They must battle a harsh, brutal unforgiving economy as co-writer/director Ira Sachs explains how LOVE IS STRANGE.

It’s early morning in a cozy NYC one-bedroom apartment as Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) awake to the alarm and go about dressing in their best suits. They bid their Russian housekeepers adieu (while taking a whiff of the cooking lasagna) and head out to the street to frantically hail a cab. What’s their hurry? As I explained above, it’s their wedding day. All of their friends and family are gathered in a garden for the beautiful nuptials. Later everyone gathers back to their home for food, drink, song, and celebration. Days later, George concludes conducting a choir rehearsal and reports to the office of the head of the Catholic high school where he’s taught music for many years. Seems that the archdiocese caught wind of some photos of his wedding that posted to social media. This violates the teaching contract and so George is fired. Since he’s the main bread-winner (Ben is a semi-retired gallery artist), drastic steps must be taken. But the sale of their apartment will provide less of a profit than expected. And so several of those at the recent reception return as George and Ben explain that they need a place to live until George can land another full-time job with benefits (he still gives private music lessons) and they can locate a cheaper new home. Unfortunately, the only way for the couple to stay in NYC is to split up. George will crash on the couch of the two gay policemen will live downstairs (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez). Ben will stay with his nephew Elliot (Darren E Burrows) in the home he shares with his writer wife Kate (Marisa Tomei) and their rebellious teenage son Joey (Charlie Tahan). But things do not go smoothly. George tires of the constant revelry (as soon as they guys come home from a shift, their place is party central), while Ben feels like a burden, adding to the family tension (he must share a bedroom with Joey, sleeping on the lower cot of a bunk bed). When will this long-time (several decades really) couple finally be able to enjoy married life together?

STRANGE is a showcase for the still supremely gifted leading duo who provide the film’s warm, beating heart. Lithgow shines as the frequently frazzled Ben, who has been sheltered from the cold outside world by his partner for many years. But that gentle twinkle in his eyes refuses to be extinguished by fate. He can be equally endearing and exasperating as his nephew’s family quickly discovers. In a career of great roles, Ben is one of Lithgow’s most memorable. And he’s got a superb match (and great chemistry) with Molina as the more grounded of the duo, George. He’s not nearly as demonstrative as Ben, but Molina conveys the stress of trying to stay strong for the both of them. His optimism attempts to sooth the panicky Ben, but we get a feeling that he’s trying to convince himself, too. This “holding in” makes gives his emotional scenes more powerful. particularly as he loses himself in a student’s Chopin performance and later, when the throbbing party beat drills into his brain. George escapes the apartment, trudges through a torrential downpour, until he is reunited with his love. The two are ably supported by a terrific cast with Tomei impressing as the mother stretched to the limit. Ben’s arrival adds to the frayed family dynamic and in one funny but frustrating scene he almost destroys her creative muse. Also of note is the great turn by Tahan as the constantly annoyed and often casually cruel “ghost” teen  who floats in and out of the increasingly cramped quarters. Joey’s confused and conflicted, but Ben is determined to bust through.

Sachs directs with a subtle touch, knowing just when to go to blackout or dissolve without lingering. He even leaves a few events up to our imaginations to avoid exploiting. The script he co-wrote with Mauricio Zacharias delicately balances comedy and drama while the classical music score gives the action a dream-like quality. Kudos also to cinematographer Christos Voudouris for turning Manhattan into a glowering Spring-time wonderland. All of them, especially the teaming of master artists Lithgow and Molina, give us a great romantic pair and make LOVE IS STRANGE an enthralling, enriching entertainment and one of the year’s best films.

4.5 Out of 5