Married Life

Undoubtedly a substantial improvement over filmmaker Ira Sachs’ last effort, 2005’s Forty Shades of Blue, Married Life generally comes off as a small, low-key drama that’s agreeable enough and ultimately elevated by the uniformly superb performances. Set in the 1940s, the film follows four central characters – Chris Cooper’s Harry, Patricia Clarkson’s Pat, Pierce Brosnan’s Rich, and Rachel McAdams’ Kay – as they’re forced to deal with a whole host of relationship issues after Harry (who’s married to Pat) begins having an affair with Kay. Rich, Harry’s best friend and an avowed bachelor, subsequently finds himself drawn to Kay, while Pat is harboring a substantial secret of her own. Sachs has infused the early part of Married Life with a breezy, lighthearted sensibility that proves impossible to resist, with Brosnan’s wry narration certainly cementing this vibe. There does reach a point, however, at which Sachs’ emphasis on the characters’ sprightly shenanigans comes to a close, as the director starts to infuse the proceedings with a decidedly slow-paced and flat-out dark sort of atmosphere. It’s a fairly jarring shift that doesn’t entirely work, though there’s little doubt that the stellar work by the actors – particularly Clarkson and Cooper – effectively holds the viewer’s interest even through some of the film’s more uneven stretches.

**1/2 out of ****