A film (intended to be charming) about one thirtysomething yuppie's obsessive jealousy and its detrimental effects on all his relationships, especially his most recent one. A modern-day fairy tale as viewed through the prism of pyschotherapy and overexamined melodramatic tendencies of 1990s New York singles.
The film begins with an interesting premise (joining someone's group therapy in order to dig up dirt on the promiscuity of your current girlfriend) but it's long, slow-moving and a little lazy. A few of the plot diversions (one involving Bridget Fonda as a girl with a stutter) feel like directorial in-jokes.
Eric Stoltz and Annabella Sciorra are great individually but the chemistry is lacking. Chris Eigeman is believable as a pretentious "voice of his generation" writer and fans of his should rent this film to admire some of his more subtly hilarious moments (one involving a hit Cat Stevens song).
Overall not as charming or as naturally sweet and thought-provoking as Baumbach's Kicking and Screaming.
The film begins with an interesting premise (joining someone's group therapy in order to dig up dirt on the promiscuity of your current girlfriend) but it's long, slow-moving and a little lazy. A few of the plot diversions (one involving Bridget Fonda as a girl with a stutter) feel like directorial in-jokes.
Eric Stoltz and Annabella Sciorra are great individually but the chemistry is lacking. Chris Eigeman is believable as a pretentious "voice of his generation" writer and fans of his should rent this film to admire some of his more subtly hilarious moments (one involving a hit Cat Stevens song).
Overall not as charming or as naturally sweet and thought-provoking as Baumbach's Kicking and Screaming.