We Don't Live Here Anymore
Two married couples (Mark Ruffalo and Laura Dern, Peter Krause and Naomi Watts) who have been close friends for years find that dynamic irrevocably changed when two of them (Ruffalo and Watts) have an affair. Add an innocent third party into the mix (the kids), and you have a recipe for domestic disaster on your hands.
Member Reviews
Good - rnhaas
The performances are good and the film is well made. I can't help feeling like something is missing. It's not just that the casting is a little off (anyone else have trouble with Mark Ruffalo as a runner?) it's...well, it's hard to place. I suspect I would know had I read either or both Dubus stories, only I haven't read them. Enjoying Dubus' work in general, I can only imagine that he manages to convey this whole thing more effectively. Still can't put my finger on what it is that keeps it from being great.Here feels isolating - Baboonvideo
It isn't easy to witness the dissolution of a marriage but, as The Door in the Floor illustrated, it doesn't have to be a chore. Despite four stellar performances, however, We Don't Live Here Anymore turns out to be more sealed off and isolating than such a difficult theme requires. Directed by John Curran and based on two short stories by Andre Dubus (whose story Killings became In the Bedroom), We Don't Live Here Anymore focuses on a set of married friends rocked by an act of adultery. College English professor Jack (Mark Ruffalo) may be married to Terry (Laura Dern), but he's secretly seeing her best friend (Naomi Watts), who just happens to be married to Jack's best friend (Six Feet Under's Peter Krause). This destined-to-crash-and-burn set of relationships results in a mess of emotions, but all four actors step up to the challenge of their difficult roles, with Watts shining with a natural sexiness, Dern biting into the wronged woman role with relish, Krause appropriately remote, and Ruffalo working depth into his unforced isolation and desire. If We Don't Live Here Anymore ultimately feels a little too confined and stage-bound for its own good, it is undoubtedly due to a function of storytelling and dialogue, not performance.Astoundingly Honest & Real - Raven
This movie is amazingly real - so much so it's scary. Superb acting all around. Laura Dern especially - she should have been nominated for an Oscar. You would swear you're peaking through a window at a real relationship, not watching actors on screen. Laura Dern's portrayal of a woman who feels unloved and is unravelling under the stress and pressure of it all is so painful to watch. A real eye opener to what a relationship untended can become.
Member Reviews
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Good - rnhaas
The performances are good and the film is well made. I can't help feeling like something is missing. It's not just that the casting is a little off (anyone else have trouble with Mark Ruffalo as a runner?) it's...well, it's hard to place. I suspect I would ...Here feels isolating - Baboonvideo
It isn't easy to witness the dissolution of a marriage but, as The Door in the Floor illustrated, it doesn't have to be a chore. Despite four stellar performances, however, We Don't Live Here Anymore turns out to be more sealed off and isolating than such ...Astoundingly Honest & Real - Raven
This movie is amazingly real - so much so it's scary. Superb acting all around. Laura Dern especially - she should have been nominated for an Oscar. You would swear you're peaking through a window at a real relationship, not watching actors on screen. ...