Maureen (Robin Wright) is a mess. She's pregnant and desperate to find her husband Eddie Quinn (Sean Penn). Her neighbor Kiefer (James Gandolfini) comforts her and then violently rapes her. Eddie takes it badly and attacks somebody landing him in a psychiatric hospital. He is released 10 years later although he keeps thinking it's only 3 months. Maureen had divorced him and remarried to Joey Germoni (John Travolta) with three kids. The oldest girl Jeanie is Eddie's.
These are not sweet people. They are all a mess in the first part. The first part has great grimy gutter feel. Robin Wright brings so much to her character. Everybody does great performances. The second half is grasping a bit. It would be helpful to show where Joey is coming from. I think it's more dramatic to have Joey be normal but it's still compelling to have Travolta act a bit crazy.
These are not sweet people. They are all a mess in the first part. The first part has great grimy gutter feel. Robin Wright brings so much to her character. Everybody does great performances. The second half is grasping a bit. It would be helpful to show where Joey is coming from. I think it's more dramatic to have Joey be normal but it's still compelling to have Travolta act a bit crazy.