Love and Other Impossible Pursuits

Based on the novel by Ayelet Waldman, Love and Other Impossible Pursuits casts Natalie Portman as Emelia Greenleaf – a successful thirtysomething attorney who attempts to cope with a staggering personal loss while also attempting to mend her fractured relationship with her precocious stepson (Charlie Tahan’s William). Filmmaker Don Roos does a consistently superb job of adapting Waldman’s book for the big screen, yet there’s little doubt that the writer/director’s reliance on flashbacks initially wreaks a fair amount of havoc on the movie’s momentum. It’s not until the backstory has been dealt with that Love and Other Impossible Pursuits really gets going, with Portman’s affecting and downright compelling performance ensuring that Emelia inevitably becomes an undeniably sympathetic figure – which, given the character’s prickly demeanor at the outset, is certainly no small feat. And although Roos has effectively peppered the proceedings with a host of intriguing supporting characters, including Scott Cohen’s patient Jack and Lisa Kudrow’s icy Carolyn, there’s little doubt that the heart of the film remains the love/hate relationship between Emelia and William (with the actors’ palpable chemistry together playing an instrumental role in cementing the success of their scenes). The end result is a shamelessly manipulative and melodramatic drama that’s nevertheless often quite moving, with the film’s myriad of positive attributes ultimately making it easy enough to overlook its few flaws.

***1/2 out of ****