Jack and Hank are best friends and their wives are also best buddies
and the family socialize very frequently. The two families have a lot
of things in common and they share a lot of good times together.
Jack has been having an affair with Hank's wife Edith, and they have
frequent sexual encounters. They had been covering up their affair smoothly
with lies but Terry has her doubts about her husband and love starved
Edith. Hank is a casual philanderer. Even though Jack and Terry love
each other, she feels abandoned and lonely, which makes her find consolation
in heavy drinking. After a night of heavy drinking, Hank makes a pass
at Terry and they have some serious flirtation which Jack cleverly manipulates
into a sexual relationship between his best friend and his wife.
Curran is telling a story of selfish desires and untold needs in the
life of two modern day couples. He masterfully develops a movie of adultery
in a small college town of modern America to present to the civilized
world. In the last few years American morality had been battered by
unscrupulous politicians, arrogant corporate chieftains and nasty but
powerful movie moguls. Curran very boldly brings out a movie about a
forbidden theme in American life. Well directed film clearly conveys
a message to the world that the noble idea of marriage sometimes depend
on minute details and diversions. He very well portray the psychological
trauma suffered by each couple even though adultery fulfilled their
sexual needs and got instant gratification. The way he develops the
story of two unhappy couples cheating on each other within the inner
circle is wonderful. It is a truthful revelation of modern day American
life. It is about time that Hollywood is producing movies of temptations
and distractions of simple people in a simple society. Curran and Gross
successfully build a touch of reality to a story of love and desire.
Ruffalo, Krause, Dern and Watts put up an excellent performance in
their roles but Dern steals the show. As Terry, an isolated soul, her
anguish is well palpable as she presents a worst case scenario - a shaky
marriage, impact of adultery and its traumatic consequences. Even though
the movie has no morals, as an entertainer it is good for the grownups.
We rate this movie Good.
