Take This Waltz (2011)

Someone seems to say "life is between boredom and anxiety". People feel bored for what they already have and feel anxiety for what they don't. The process of knowing a new person or getting a new thing stirs the excitement. The excitement makes people feel delighted, happy and bold, which could lead to make a wrong decision and regret later. After a while, the excitement dies down, the new becomes the old, the boredom strikes again... I think the movie captures the idea very well. People who have the similar experience will find this movie is interesting and worth to watch. Otherwise, the movie might seems boring and slow.

The important thing in the life is to figure out what is really important and hold on to them. Rather than chasing the "mirage" created by the excitement, it is better to ride out the boredom by discovering new trait from old people or things, include ourself. So when you feel you will give in to the temptation, you can watch this movie and see whether you still want to do it or not.

Take This Waltz is a slow moving quirky movie. There was something unique about this film, something that caught my attention from the first moment.

The film opens with a beautiful song, light quirky words, slightly on the folk side. The opening montage is a set of close ups of Margot making cup cakes. One of the last shots is of her sitting in front of the oven, a man in shorts walks past and the montage ends with an out of focus shot of the man standing in front of a bright window. I describe this very carefully because the film closes with exactly this same series of shots. They are identical, except for one small detail; the man is wearing long pants.

The film then moves to a town on the east coast of Canada where Margot writes the new brochure copy for a Colonial town. A man taunts her to participate in a mock flogging. He ends up sitting next to her on the plane home. Turns out he lives across the street and they share a cab home, as they part ways she says under her breath, "I'm married." Margot is married to Lou, a chef writing a chicken cookbook.

This next paragraph has spoilers in it. If you would rather not know some details, skip this paragraph.

Ultimately, Margot ends up having an affair with Daniel. The literal interpretation of this affair is that she is a horrible person, doing what so many people do. She should be in love with her funny schlub of a husband. Her life is fabulous and she should be happy. Instead she falls for this handsome sexy guy across the street. I contend that there is another way to look at this film. Lou wore shorts a lot in this film. Daniel never wore shorts once, in fact the director made sure we got to see his Capri pants, they were always long pants; even at the beach. Margot never cooks in the whole film; in fact she hates the kitchen. The opening and closing montage style is completely different from the rest of the film. It is an intimate dance with Margot, the close ups of her bare feet moving gracefully. Throughout the film she wears funky sneakers, rarely barefoot. The opening and closing montage say that the affair was a fantasy. If I look back on the film with the idea that the affair was completely in Margot's head, the film takes on a completely different amazing turn. It all makes sense and is powerful.

The film is beautifully made. The interiors are full of stuff, bright colored stuff. Margot wears some of the funkiest unusual clothes. The exteriors portray a Toronto neighborhood so perfectly, open and green. The trips into the city are tight shots with all kinds of activity everywhere. Michelle Williams is absolutely radiant. She is bohemian, wears those unusual clothes perfectly. She as well as Sarah Silverman are never afraid to take off her clothes. They are both beautiful women comfortable with their bodies. Seth Rogan and Luke Kirby are also confident, but both stand to the side to let the women shine. This is a strong cast. I do have one complaint about the Montreal airport, it is not Dorval the chairs, halls, and doors are all wrong. Given the attention to detail in this film, I'm surprised that slipped in.

The film is almost two hours long. It does move along at about the same slow pace throughout. Frankly, I liked this pace. This isn't an action picture; it is a sort of romance or a slow slide into a fantasy world. I would guess it was too slow for a lot of viewers. This is an R rated film. There are several scenes with full frontal and rear female nudity. There is a scene in the middle of the film where Daniel describes what he wants to do to Margot. It is one of the most sensual scenes I have ever watched where nobody ever took off their clothes or even touched. There is an artistic scene of two people having sex, reasonably well covered. There is some strong language. The film is intended for mature audiences.

This film was less about betrayal and more about what boredom and fantasy will lead people to think. I loved the quirkiness of this film. The soundtrack was perfection. Sarah Silverman and Michelle Williams were amazing. Although slow moving, I was moved by this film.

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Margo (Michelle WIlliams) meets Daniel (Luke Kirby) on a Colonial tour, in which actors are put in stocks and whipped for committing adultery. This bit of foreshadowing (Daniel goads her into administering the lashing) is a clue as to the moral dilemma that involves Margo, Daniel, and ultimately Margo's husband, Lou (Seth Rogan).

The theme of marriage, temptation, boredom and adultery is hardly new fodder for exploration, but it does have an endless fascination. This tale of hipster attraction, lust and flirtation does not add anything particularly intriguing to the mix. Michelle Williams does a good job with the complicated character of Margo, who seems literally lost in her own neuroses and insecurities. She swings from childlike timidity to really bold flirting without much in between, and the instant hot attraction between she and Daniel leaves her understandably emotional and highly charged. Daniel, it turns out, lives right across the street from Margo and Luke (how did they not know this?) and he also veers from boldness he literally stalks her 24/7 -to suddenly turning morally righteous just as he's about to get what he wants. These two tease each other in a way that I found infuriating. Of course, they say and do things that real people operating under the conventions of civility would never say or do, but when it comes to pulling the trigger, they both back off.

Most puzzling to me was the character of Luke (Seth Rogan), Margo's husband. A writer of cookbooks involving chicken, he is a charming manchild with a strange distaste for touching his pretty wife. She, clearly in love with him, tries on countless occasions to "seduce" him (her words), only to be spurned with no explanation each and every time. They behave towards each other like kindergarten children with a crush. They "play" with each, tickle each other, he dumps cold water on her in her shower (why???) but he will not sleep with her. Is he gay? Asexual? At one point he mutters something about "not deserving her" which does nothing to clarify the situation.

My favorite performance in the movie was that of Sarah Silverman. She seems natural, is her usual bold, profane self, and adds a dimension of reality to a movie which is so subtle and nuanced it gets in its own way. "Everything new gets old" is hardly a startling new revelation, and unfortunately, this treatment of that theme ultimately fails to satisfy.

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This is not a light Hollywood RomCom. This story explores the chemistry of relationships. Margot is happily married to a good guy, a chef named Lou. They have fun and a nice life where their friends and family love them as a couple. Five years into a marriage, they do not have a deep connection, but a superficial one where they are content with the companionship that grows over time. There is a lot of nurture & familiarity in their relationship but no spark.

The two are different from each other. Margot feels the space between them but does not want to explore what is happening on a deeper level until she meets a carefree urban hobo / artist by chance when visiting a local landmark. She later realizes that he lives across the street from her. Daniel, the artist seems to see past her normal facade and made up excuses and stories. He calls it for what it is and makes her realize that she does not want everyday security but a raw deep connection with someone who feels her being deeply and allows her to be an individual.

The film is shot in beautiful urban Toronto. The backdrop and streets are full of color and life. The main characters of Margot and Daniel are played by the talented and adaptable Michelle Williams and hunky, deep and slightly mysterious Luke Kirby. Michelle gives a great performance of a young woman who is not sure what is lacking in her life. She tries to hold on to the things that others say are good for her and struggles with being pursued by a slightly obsessive suitor. The cerebral and sexual tension between the two actors heightens as the film progresses. One of the best non sex, erotic scenes happens in a cafe where Daniel tells Margot what he will do with her (this happens about 45 minutes into the movie). Luke Kirby looks at Michelle Williams as if he can see deep into her soul and Michelle looks increasingly like she has been carried away on a cloud when she looks at him. The acting is superb. Excellent performances are also seen by Sarah Silverman and Seth Rogen.

This is now one of my all time favorite movies. I hope to see more from Sarah Polley who wrote and directed this movie.

Want Take This Waltz (2011) Discount?

I swear those Canadians can churn these kinds of movies out endlessly; and I can't say I'm sorry. I enjoyed watching this movie very, very much.

Here's the scoop. Margot (Michelle Williams) can probably write but uses her talent to write p.r. type stuff. She's married to Lou (Seth Rogen) who writes cookbooks featuring chicken and chicken only. They live in Ontario and are good together. They have a cool, interesting thing between them, but she has some issues, some voids that eat at her. She meets Daniel (Luke Kirby) on a flight. He paints, but is afraid to display his works. Turns out he lives across the street from her and therein lies the rub as the two become interested in one another.

The user reviews on this are lukewarm, but for me it was a great watch. First off, I like the set up. Of the three main characters, there are really no "bad" people. Rogen seems perfectly content though there may be something in the fact he doesn't want children. From the opening shot, when you see Margot out of focus, you know she will be the crux of the matter. She is generally happy but something is missing. The finger is pointed at her more than Rogen as being a villain. Daniel is a decent guy but has issues in fear and sees something in Margot. Though he respects the fact she's married, he still needs to be with her. They don't "cross the line" but they still do damage to the status quo.

Hat's off to the set directors here. Both Morgot's/Lou's place and Daniels place are cluttered, but it's a great clutter; filled with all sorts of odd stuff all over the place. The eye is constantly wandering over things, and the color scheme is great. Colors and things that normally would not occupy the same frame in most movies are at home here. Whoda thunk that Sarah Polley would go from child actor to such an astute writer/director. This is a woman's film to be sure (note the post aerobics shower scene) and she fills the circumstances with subtle nuance. For me there was only one clunky scene in the whole film. And she interjects certain plot points in surprising ways. Oh! The sound track is really nifty too. I liked the tunes a lot and I liked the way they underscored the content.

I must stop now or the length will put people off from reading it but I like this film a lot and would recommend it unhesitatingly to anyone fond of indy films.

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