EIFF: Married Like - Review by Becky Bartlett

Director: Ira Sachs
Running Time: 90 mins
Sat 21 Jun, 17:00
Cineworld 3
Tue 24 Jun, 19:45
Cameo 1

Narrated by Pierce Brosnan’s playboy Richard, Married Life is reminiscent of 1950s Hitchcock, from its plot, to its Herrmann-esque score dappled with upbeat jazz, via its techniques. The premise is a simple one – it’s 1949 and Harry (Chris Cooper) is trying to escape his marriage to naive but nice wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) so he can be “truly happy” with young love interest Kay (Rachel McAdams), even considering murder in his desperation. There are no real villains here, yet everyone is deceitful. Each character is conveyed in a sympathetic , understated fashion – to be expected of Cooper and Brosnan, but McAdams deserves a special mention as a perfect Hitchcock blonde, whose entrance demands comparison to Kim Novak’s in Vertigo. Married Life promises slightly more than it delivers. Some characters are superfluous, while some may not be satisfied with the ending. However its retro, noirish feel and excellent choice of cast results in a delightfully Hitchcockian film for the Desperate Housewives generation.