|
|
|
|
|
Tom and Rebecca (David Duchovny and Julianne Moore) are a happily married couple with two kids. She’s an actress; he’s a former advertising guy turned stay-at-home dad. At their annual visit to their marriage counselor, they realize that, while things are pretty good in their marriage, there’s one big problem: their sex life. Actually, the problem is Tom’s. Rebecca is happy the way things are, but Tom wants more. Lots more.
Meanwhile, Rebecca’s brother, Toby (Billy Crudup), and his girlfriend, Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal), are having problems of their own. After waiting for Toby for seven years, all Elaine wants is to get married and have a baby. She’s been really patient, but she’s starting to think that Toby might never get beyond all his phobias and obsessions and decide to settle down. And she wonders if she’s just wasted seven years of her life on him.
Trust the Man follows the two couples as they try to figure out where their relationships are headed. Tom chooses to have an affair with a divorced mom from his son’s school. Elaine decides to throw Toby out and get on with her life—and find the right daddy for her baby. And while Rebecca tries to help her best friend (who also happens to be her brother’s ex-girlfriend) find a new guy (all the while trying to ignore the fact that something is seriously wrong in her marriage), Tom has to listen to his best friend (who also happens to be his brother-in-law) pine for the woman he loves.
Love is a miserable thing in Trust the Man. At times, the film is heavy and depressing. At other times, it’s ridiculous. And, the rest of the time, it’s awkward and uncomfortable. This movie just can’t decide what it wants to be. It seems like it started out as a drama, but then the filmmakers figured that some parts were actually pretty funny, so they decided to make it a romantic comedy by throwing in random unnecessary scenes that are just plain silly—like the scenes when Toby stalks his therapist, or when Tom goes to a sex addicts support group and fabricates a deli meat fetish.
Trust the Man has its moments, but not very many. For the most part, it’s loaded with pointless scenes, unrealistic characters, and painful film clichés, resulting in 103 uncomfortable minutes that drag on to feel more like a couple of days. A couple of long days.
Trust me on this one—it’s not worth your time.
|
|
|
|
