Take This Waltz (Sarah Polley, 2012)

[Jeff]

Beating Domino to the punch:

Three intriguing clips from Sarah Polley's new Michelle Williams vehicle.

[ianungstad]

The clips look great. I'm really looking forward to this one. Polley seems to have found a way to make Sarah Silverman *not* annoying. Kudos.

[tarpilot]

Any thoughts? I'd heard a lot of mixed reactions, but this definitely worked for me. Much of Polley's screenplay is a collection of scenarios too wacky or vulgar for your mother's romantic comedy! but I'll grant her all the arrogance and self-consciousness in the world for the texture and earthy sensuality of the filmmaking here. Messy, confused, sick, delirious, overlong. Like one of those eight-minute Carissa's Wierd songs. There's a strange, uneasy reverie to it that eludes description, and I feel nauseous and giddy going over it in my mind. I kind of love everything annoying about it.

[Murdoch]

I liked it, it was a sort of anti-romcom. You have all the ingredients for a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy - bored lead, attractive seducer, two comedy A-listers - but they all come together the opposite from what is expected and form a rather messy whole where none of the characters come out better off.

Spoiler

Williams in the end alone on the amusement park ride was the perfect cap to the film, as it suggests the relationship with her neighbor, like her relationship with Rogen, was just a temporary affair and there is no happy ending just because they wound up together.

I actually liked the casting of Silverman against type and thought she played her role really well. Rogen, on the other hand, didn't click for me entirely, he was fine for the most part but when the role demanded him to break down he didn't appear genuine and it played out like he was forcing it. Still, Polley demonstrates that she has great potential as a director and I look forward to her next film.