Blue Valentine

Here is the latest case of a movie that disappointed mainly because of what it could have been. I so wanted to love it, especially after waiting a year to see it. This was the only movie I stood in line for at Sundance that I did not get in, the buzz was at such a fever pitch that everyone who could attend, did. It's also a case of where you got the distinct impression that the making of the film was much more intense and personal and emotionally intimate than the actual final product. Seeing the director Derek Cianfrance, Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling on Charlie Rose describing the scene on the bridge sounded so much more intense and charged when they talked about it. That Michelle had no idea Ryan was going to climb the fencing of the bridge, as if to jump, and that she had been sworn to a secret that she was not to tell, no matter what. The scene could've used several more minutes of build up to the finale of her blurting out she was pregnant. But it all happened so fast that any drama was soon deflated. Another 30 minutes of depth of both the characters, what made them tick, what did they want that they weren't receiving from the relationship? And the story should have been developed, we want to see the pain and agony that always accompanies a failing relationship. Not because we're gluttons for punishment, but because we've all been through the heart wrenching pain that happens when just love alone can't save your marriage/relationship. Why had they fallen out of love? Where had it all gone wrong? Those questions are never answered. True the "NC 17" scene was very emotional, but it had more to do with the camera angle and the hint of rape than the intense feelings they felt for each other. Michelle and Ryan are both terrific actors, but I have a feeling a substantial part of their performance was left on the cutting room floor.