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Anyone who’s been married for more than a week or two knows that marriage isn’t as easy as it may seem to the uninitiated. There are all kinds of things to work through on a daily basis: finances…chores…whether to squeeze the toothpaste tube from the front or the back… The list is endless. But now, after seeing Married Life, there’s one more thing to add to the list: murder.
To Rich Langley (Pierce Brosnan), his childhood friend, Harry Allen (Chris Cooper), always seemed to have it all—including the perfect marriage to his loving and devoted wife, Pat (Patricia Clarkson). So it comes as a huge surprise when Harry announces over lunch one day that he’s leaving Pat. He’s met a beautiful young widow named Kay (Rachel McAdams), and she loves him more than Pat ever did—so it’s time to move on.
As Harry plans to leave, however, he begins to realize that it won’t be all that easy. After all, Pat really is a good woman. She’s always been so faithful and caring—and he’s pretty sure that it would kill her to lose him. So, in order to save Pat from suffering the pain and humiliation of a divorce, Harry realizes that there’s only one humane thing to do: kill her.
Married Life tells a dark and intriguing story about the secrets that even seemingly happy couples keep from one another. Nothing (and no one) is exactly as it seems in this tangled web of a drama. It may be a pretty grim take on marriage, but the twisted tale makes for some sinister, suburban fun.
Unfortunately, though, it’s not without its flaws—the greatest of which is McAdams. Though she’s definitely both young and beautiful, her performance is much too flat and dull to make her truly believable as the irresistible young woman who makes every man she meets fall head over heels. Sure, she’s pretty—but would a man really kill his wife (or betray his best friend) for the love of a beautiful bore? Okay…maybe. But for a vibrant blonde bombshell would have been much more believable.
Aside from that—and a few rather drawn-out moments—though, Married Life is a smart and suspenseful drama that comes together in one curiously clever conclusion. But it’s not a film for everyone. Younger viewers (especially the single ones) will most likely find it rather dull—and it might just scare them into a perpetually solitary existence. But older married viewers will appreciate its dark, subtle wit.
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