‘Millers in Marriage’ Stalls Just When It’s Ready to Soar
“Millers in Marriage” may be set in modern times, but the ‘90s are never far from the screen.
Writer/director Edward Burns dissects the travails of 50-somethings in mid-life crises. They pine for their younger days, when “Seinfeld” ruled and AOL flooded the zone with Internet CD-ROMs.
So does the film, a throwback to storytellers who focused on lost souls seeking life’s missing ingredients. Think “Walking and Talking,” “Singles” and, of course, Burns’ “The Brothers McMullen” (1995).
Middle-aged malaise rarely gets a sober closeup like this, but too many story arcs fall into predictable ruts and never see their way out.
Burns lured a terrific cast to act out his latest New York story. Meet Maggie (Juliana Margulies), a writer married to a fading novelist named Nick (Campbell Scott).
Yes, two of the key characters are writers, another is an artist and everyone clings to their Big Apple roots. Burns takes the “write what you know” saw seriously, even putting the phrase in one character’s mouth.
Gretchen Mol co-stars as Eve, a former indie singer who settled for life with an unrepentant drunk (Patrick Wilson, lost in a one-note role). A music journalist (Benjamin Bratt) wants to do more than interview Eve about her one-hit-wonder days, but she feels too old to shake up her life.
And then there’s Andy (a bearded Burns playing the generic, well-intentioned guy). He’s dating Renee (Minnie Driver) after escaping from the awful Tina (Morena Baccarin).
Both Baccarin and Wilson should have held out for a rewrite of their toxic characters.
The family ties barely matter in the film (Eve, Maggie and Andy are siblings) beyond giving the title its teeth. It’s about marriages in decline, fueled by work disappointments, alcoholism or lives veering in different directions.
It’s all fine dramatic fodder, and Burns has the chops to pull it off – at least on paper. So why are so many subplots bland and predictable? Bratt resonates as a man who sees his handsome visage fading along with his career goals.
He’s desperate to save Eve from her terrible marriage. Her reluctance is hard to process despite Mol’s best measures.
What’s missing? A sense of narrative surprise. Why can’t some of these characters disappoint not just their spouses but subvert our expectations? Human nature is messy. The film embraces that truth without taking advantage of it.
So we wait for characters to wake up, make a move or just stop being passive-aggressive. A lethargy sets in just as the relationships should be coming into sharper focus.
Edward Burns’ MILLERS IN MARRIAGE starring Burns, Minnie Driver, Gretchen Mol, Julianna Margulies, Morena Baccarin, Benjamin Bratt, Patrick Wilson, and Campbell Scott will be in theaters and on digital VOD next Friday. It had premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September. pic.twitter.com/ROMAtnurf5
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Don’t blame the cast. They make the most of an uneven screenplay, each getting a moment to shine. Eve’s frustrations over abandoning her career for married life are familiar yet palpable. It might help to see more of her now-grown children to flesh out what she lost and gained by that decision.
A few quieter scenes crackle as partners reveal the limits of their affection. It’s still hard to watch yet another on-screen author enduring “writer’s block.” That film cliché needs a 10-year sabbatical.
At the very least.
Burns, now 56, is the perfect age to essay the love lives of older couples. It’s an unsexy topic ripe for indie storytellers.
“Millers in Marriage” looks like the Burns feature we need from him now, but the results prove more frustrating than fulfilling.
HiT or Miss: “Millers in Marriage” explores the love lives of attractive, 50-something souls. What’s missing is the insight the subject demands.
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