Husbands and Wives (1992) User Reviews

One of Woody Allen's best comedy/dramas

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 12 March 2005]

A married couple, Sally (Judy Davis) and Jack (Sydney Pollack), tell their best friends--another married couple named Gabe (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow)--that they are separating. This news throws Gabe and Judy into a tailspin. It makes them reexamine their own marriage and find it lacking. Meanwhile Sally starts seeing a handsome, romantic man (Liam Neeson) and Jack is living with a girl at least 30 years his junior. This film follows what happens to them over the course of a year.

A fascinating film. I'm not married (or even straight) but I don't think that matters--this is about love, sex and relationships and has dialogue and situations that anyone can relate to. Allen's script is right on target--the insights are just incredible, and we slowly begin to see exactly how all of the four main characters really are. During the film they are all interviewed by a never seen person--these interviews really help the story and reveals how everybody feels about the others. It pulls everything together.

The acting is almost all great. Allen and Farrow were living together when this was filmed--when it was released they were in a bitter custody battle. This movie actually provides insight to WHY they broke up--their argument scenes are just a bit too realistic. Davis and Pollack are just superb in their roles. They let you feel their characters pain and confusion--just great acting. Neeseon isn't asked to do much but he is very affecting in his scenes. However Juliette Lewis is terrible as a college student. Her voice is nasal and whiny and her acting is pretty lousy--but it doesn't ruin the film.

I saw this back in 1992 in a theatre and loved it. Twelve years later I STILL love it. A great film. I'm only giving this an 8 though. There are two big faults with this film: the hand-held jittery camera work being the main one. My guess is Allen filmed it this way to make the film more immediate and give it a documentary feel. It works but it IS distracting. Also it gets a little repetitious towards the end. Still this is well worth seeing. Recommended.

Has not Aged and Gets Better with the Years

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 23 September 2018]

"Husbands and Wives" is a Woody Allen´s film for mature audiences that has not aged and gets better with the years. Jack and Sally and Gabe and Judy are best friends. When the first couple announces that they are going to split up to have new experiences, the initial shock to Gabe and Judy reverts to questioning of their own marriage with a surprising conclusion. This simple storyline about separation processes on the hands of Woody Allen turns into a funny and thoughtful film, supported by a great cast and witty dialogues and situations. This is a movie that can be seen and assessed from time to time. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil0: "Maridos e Esposas" ("Husbands and Wives")

Drifting in and Out of Romance

[bkrauser-81-311064 · 8/10 · 9 April 2014]

Gabe (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow) have invited their good friends Jack (Sydney Pollack) and Sally (Judy Davis) for a small dinner at their quaint Manhattan apartment. Their abode is full of books and knickknacks all pointing to a comfortable urbanite life in the largest city in the world. Then Jack and Sally reveal some surprising news…after years of seemingly happy marriage, the two have agreed to a separation and eventual divorce. After that bomb is dropped the two couples reexamine their relationships with each other, trying to find meaning in romances both current and past while discovering the good, the bad and the ugly in marriage.

Woody Allen is mostly known for his comedies. But while Husbands and Wives has some pretty spot on observational humor, the story is largely somber and dramatic. Not dramatic in the sense of a Wednesday afternoon soap opera but a benign drama that with a few spikes of activity focuses mostly on the characters. There is no clever high concept or narrative liberties here like say, The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985); the film is more straight-laced and character driven along the lines of Interiors (1978) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989).

And what of the characters or rather the actors who flesh them out? Judy Davis, Mia Farrow and Juliette Lewis are the obvious standouts, representing three very different women all of which are looking for the same thing; someone to love and someone to love them back. Davis received an Oscar nomination for her role as a bitter divorcée trying to come to terms with her ex-husband's infidelity and being single again. She's continually frustrated and confused by the yearnings of the heart occasionally even lashing out on her boyfriend Gates (Liam Neeson). She's cynical and wary of attachment yet deep down she knows that her entanglements with Jack aren't over.

Mia Farrow is a stark counterpoint to Diane Keaton's brassy personalities of Allen's earlier work. Farrow's intensity lies always below the surface, providing the perked looks and mousiness of a young ingénue with the mind and body language of a veteran in the trials of love. It's a shame that out of the twelve Woody Allen films she has been in (for which Husbands and Wives was most famously her last) she had never received recognition by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for her stellar work.

Juliette Lewis who plays one of Gabe's young students from his Literature course, has the appearance and vulnerability of a dewy-eyed devotee. Yet when the amiable Gabe discovers he might be the object of desire here and Lewis's Rain the controller, he recoils. There's a scene where the two are in a cab discussing the latest draft of his book. Unable to take criticism, Gabe calls Rain a 20-year-old twit and says "I'd hate to be your boyfriend, he must go through hell." Rain cavalierly responds "Well, I'm worth it."

Those who bemoan Allen's post-Annie Hall (1977) work won't find relief from his more meditative works of the 1980's. While most of the characters are likable they sometimes do unlikeable things, each on their own journey of discovery. I suppose we all do things we regret for love and those with a mature outlook on the subject matter will find a lot to enjoy and a lot to flinch at in Husbands and Wives. I suppose the heart wants what the heart wants.

http://www.theyservepopcorninhell.blogspot.com

Husbands and Wives (1992) ****

[JoeKarlosi · 10/10 · 23 January 2005]

This is one of Woody Allen's greatest films, but it took me two viewings to fully appreciate it. I first saw it in 1992 at the theatre upon its initial release with my then-girlfriend, when I was 30 and she was 24; but this second time was in 2005 on home video, with me still in the same relationship thirteen years later and married to this same woman for ten of those; it really hit a nerve for me as a middle-aged spouse. I'm not so sure it can appeal to every viewer, but I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to older married couples everywhere.

Allen's hard-hitting film dissects the long-term effects of being with the same person for a long time: familiarity, infidelity, stagnation and indifference. To drive the point home still further, the photography is crudely rendered in a sometimes confusing hand-held camera style which works wonders. Woody's cast is excellent - beginning with the note-perfect Sydney Pollack and strong-willed Judy Davis, who play a bored married couple announcing a trial separation, shocking and convincing their friends (Woody and wife Mia Farrow) to take a closer look at their own vulnerable relationship. Juliette Lewis is once again a very good young actress as a twenty-year-old student in Allen's writing class who becomes infatuated with him and turns out to be his protégé. Liam Neeson is strong as the new man Davis tries to reheat her romantic life with. One of Woody Allen's best performances here too, where he's more reserved and human -- not as whiny or nerdy as we're so accustomed to seeing him. Even better, he actually makes us more interested in the other characters instead of himself.

The mature story is sometimes told in a candid documentary-like format, where the participants alternately give their own perceptions as though they're spilling their guts to a psychotherapist, and then ultimately wind up expressing what they've learned from these experiences. I happen to agree with the idea that a couple must learn to accept imperfections in a marriage and work through them, together.* Released at the height of the media controversy surrounding Allen and his relationship with Mia Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi, there may well have been some similarities on display here.

*(EDITED UPDATE): Unfortunately, my wife and I divorced in 2010, after us being together for 21 years (married for 16 of those). I'm now in a new relationship and I suppose this experience will only serve to make HUSBANDS AND WIVES even more effective on the next viewing. **** out of ****

Entrapment in the "comédie humaine"

[raymond-massart · 11 February 2004]

I have always been a fan of Woody Alan and this movie really expresses the essence of his personal and constant recurring confrontation with the meaning of life. His pursuit of a significant context in human relationships always drives him to the brink of madness as he realizes all too well that there is no basis for real values in a life cycle which is basically totally absurd.The dark shadow of the philosophy of despair is constantly present but often relieved by a delightful form of sarcastic humor. This movie is for people who know what it's all about and are conscious of the fact that we are all trapped in this the "comédie humaine". The acting is excellent with no flaws at all. Judy Davis is a sheer delight to watch and Juliette Lewis - fascinating as always - with her mixture of Lolita-like innocence, her girlish ways and sudden adult insights would be a dangerous temptress for any middle-aged guy.

Cave Canem

[zetes · 10/10 · 1 April 2000]

Any film that affects me emotionally I consider great. But a film that affects me so much that I feel it physically can be called a masterpiece. Narrative does not normally have such power. When a spectator is learning about people who aren't directly connected with you, who are usually not even real, then he/she should realize that these characters are apart from your life and should not matter.

Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives is a film, however, which sets the viewer in the action on screen. He does this with perfect hand-held cameras and jump cuts. The camera work makes you feel like you're right there, and it adds a breakneck speed to the film. This seems like one of the most realistic films ever made.

I have no complaints about this film myself. I would give it a 10/10, but make no mistake: this is a very unpleasant film to watch. I like unpleasant films, but this one is particularly harsh. The situations develop like a fly landing in a Venus fly trap. A character will walk towards a life which he/she believes will bring sweetness and happiness, but the new life quickly engulfs them. And when the film ends, the characters are seen stepping into a different trap: quicksand. No audience member could be naive enough to think that any of the characters are standing in a desirable place when the film closes.

Husbands and Wives is a movie that could cause divorces, and could cause long-term lapses between relationships. If nothing else, it is a film that will make you cringe and squirm.

A Hollywood Perception of Marriage

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 6/10 · 5 March 2018]

For the most part there are two camps when it comes to Woody Allen movies: you love them or you hate them. There are a few of us out there who pick and choose which we do and don't like but you find far too many on either side of the issue. Those that love him think he's a genius. Those that hate him think he's not funny or dramatic. Myself, I think it depends on the movie. HUSBANDS AND WIVES to me missed the mark and for one main reason I'll get to.

The movie beings with the story of two couples, Gabe and Judy Roth (Allen and Mia Farrow) and Jack and Sally (Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis). Getting ready to go out to dinner Jack and Sally announce that they've decided to separate. This surprises Gabe but devastates Judy. The dinner carries on but throughout you can tell it's affected her. When they head home she continues to go on about it with Gabe.

As the movie progresses we watch as both Jack and Sally try to start their new lives on their own after all these years of marriage. It's easy for Jack because he was having an affair with a much younger woman beforehand. For Sally it's all neuroses and dealing with life alone. Jack's new flame Sam (Lysette Anthony) is as different from both Jack and Sally as you can get, a yoga instructor who is big on astrology. She screams flake from scene one.

Sally has her fling with a co-worker of Judy's, someone Judy finds attractive, named Michael (Liam Neeson). Michael loves poetry and tends to lean into the romantic more than Jack did. He's much more sensitive than Sally can handle.

In the meantime whether due to the situation with Jack and Sally or not, Gabe and Judy begin having problems. They argue about having another child with Judy wanting one and Gabe hesitant. As the film progresses the two of them switch sides on the matter. Judy begins to have this wistful feeling towards Michael and Gabe becomes somewhat infatuated with one of his students (Juliette Lewis).

The movie plays out in vignettes from one character to another interspersed with interviews with each as well as others involved in the story. It some cases it is a psychiatrist doing the interviewing while at other times you would think it was a documentary film crew. The end result is a less that straightforward story that works sometimes and not others.

For me the worst part of the film was the performance by Mia Farrow. Combines with the character she plays and the dialogue given you have to wonder if by this time Allen had felt it was time to part ways with her. That the production of the film took place they year before the couple split makes what you see understandable.

Farrow's character is a self-centered passive aggressive one. She manipulates those around her to get what she wants, appearing unaware that she knows she's doing so. One of the characters even comments on how she does this. Her non-stop questioning of every single detail of the lives she and Gave lives becomes grating in a short amount of time. Worst of all it feels as if Farrow applies more of her own personal personality into the role than performance.

But the entire list of characters are all insufferable. Gabe's infatuation with his student is unbelievable. Lewis as that student who gravitates from one older man to another using them along the way is contemptable. Jack's gravitation and decision to leave his wife for a younger woman is stereotypical. And Sally's jittery mannerisms, nervous habits and constant hem hawing about what to do or not to do makes one wonder how she and Jack ever married in the first place.

The end result for me was a movie that left me glad I'd seen it once so I could say I'd done so but never wanting to revisit again in the future. It wasn't funny and the drama felt false. Some love the movie and proclaim it one of Allen's best. For me it didn't come close.

Twilight Time is offering this as they have a number of other Allen films, in the best way possible with a 1080p hi def transfer. Extras are very limited here to only an isolated music & effects track and the original trailer. As with all of their releases Twilight Time has limited this title to just 3,000 copies so if you're an Allen fan and want to add it to your collection make sure you pick a copy soon.

Woody Allen hits the nail on the head, yet again

[Superunknovvn · 9/10 · 19 February 2009]

"Match Point" was the movie that converted me into a Woody Allen-fan. I had literally hated the man's work, but suddenly I found that these movies really spoke to me more than before. I guess you just have to grow older and get a little life experience before you can appreciate Woody Allen's fabulous writing. Lately, I've been catching up on his filmography and was blown away by his immense power of observation. Out of all his classic movies that I've seen in the past couple of days "Husbands And Wives" made the biggest impression so far. This movie is fearless, honest and true. Allen really hits the nail on the head with this one.

Unlike movies like "Crimes And Misdemeanors" or the aforementioned "Match Point" (which are both great) "Husbands And Wives" isn't laden with symbolism and there are no highly philosophical thoughts to be found. The movie is merely depicting the universal truth that it's tough to remain honest and passionate in a marriage. Masterfully Allen shows his struggling characters in all their weaknesses without ever making them unlikeable. These characters falter between loyalty, fear of loneliness and an undeniable desire for passion. Everybody who's ever been in a longtime relationship will be able to identify with these problems, but only the brave ones will be able to admit that to their partner.

That's the beauty of this movie. Allen says what everybody else is either too afraid or too hypocritical or simply unable to. "Husbands And Wives" shows what the fewest people understand: the egoistical side of "love", the way we cling to relationships because we're afraid of being alone, but also the simple fact that sometimes we need to lose something to understand how much we need it. Even when there's still love we can reach a point where we lie and betray the other person, just because sometimes people are confused about their lives and their feelings.

Nobody has voiced our confusion about love and death as accurately as Woody Allen and he's rarely done it better than here. "Husbands And Wives" is recommendable for everyone, especially couples, but be prepared that watching this might lead to uncomfortable discussions. The truth is hardly ever convenient.

Entertaining and fun

[mattymatt4ever · 7/10 · 6 December 2002]

Granted this is not Woody's funniest film, but it delivers the goods. Like most of Woody's work, it plays out like a photographed play (he's not a highly visual filmmaker), but if you've seen any of his other films you shouldn't be surprised. The film is low-key, at times too low-key, and if you've seen any other relationship comedies of this nature the story should come predictable, but the characters are very well-written and engaging. I was especially interested in the relationship between Woody and his beautiful student, played by Juliette Lewis. There are lots of funny moments. I see that Judy Davis got nominated for a Best Supporting Oscar. She really was great in the film. It's nice to see that Woody often finds a place for her in all his recent films. Sydney Pollack is also great. Basically, the whole cast is talented and it's pretty much an ensemble effort.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

One of my top five favorite Woody flicks

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 1 December 2005]

On a recent documentary I saw on Woody Allen's career, with him being interviewed, he said of this film that it was one of only a small number of times in his career he felt he carried over what he wanted on the page to the screen. Though I've never read the actual shooting script to Husbands and Wives, I can see what he means. I've seen the film several times, if not all the way through then usually when it is on TV, and it always strikes my attention the frankness of it all, how it follows almost no rules. It shares a kinship with another Woody masterpiece, Deconstructing Harry, also about a neurotic writer and the relationship problems around him. Here he focuses not only on himself, but also on another married couple, played by Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis (the later of which one of Woody's best in his quasi stock company), and what he calls the "discombobulated" characters. It is funny here and there, but in reality this is a great film of dramatic sincerity and occasional intensity.

Woody himself is in his final collaboration with his ex-wife Mia Farrow, who themselves in the film play a married couple working through some issues. There is also the sensitive, passionate man between the two couples played by Liam Neeson, who acts as a good mediator between the two intertwining story lines. And Juliette Lewis is surprisingly good as a young would-be author who befriends the author/professor Woody plays in the film. What works to make all of these relationships, with warts and all, is that the dialog is always totally, without a doubt, believable. One can see people like this around the New York city upper-middle class landscape, with the neuroses as intriguing as they are frank and even a little disturbing.

While the film shares a kinship with some of the dark, brooding themes of Interiors, and quintessentially European (in a good way) attitude towards editing and composition to Deconstructing Harry, it also has (also 'Harry's' DP) the eye of Carlo Di Palma. Di Palma, who also worked with Antonioni on Red Desert and Blowup, works with great ease with the aesthetics of the scenes. This time the camera-work is practically all hand-held, lit with nearly (seemingly) no artificial lights, and with a kind of intensity that is sometimes lacking in other Woody films. In wrong, amateur hands this style could falter, but with the material given, the constant interest and conviction in the performances, and Allen directing, it works. Having Di Palma as a cinematographer is as good a bet as having (a mentally-all-together) Marlon Brando as your star, and because of the documentary realism involved it always remains interesting. I could watch this movie, at least most scenes, just as easily as I could with films like Manhattan or 'Harry', because it is one of those special times in the filmmaker's career where everything comes together, however how raw it may be.

90s inspiration

[ThomasNascimento · 6/10 · 18 November 2015]

Woody manages to bring to the viewer the truth between marriages that is not filmed. He gives us the fly's point of view we would like to be am some occasions. The film behind the nostalgia of the 90s. Love is treated with care that makes me rethink attitudes of today . The rich dialogs are one combination of talent and performance of great actors chosen for the film. The cinema needs more realism, like in that movie. Realistic conversations are essential for people to feel the real emotion in film director. Husbands and wives is one example. It's great to see Woody Allen films of that era . We are transported to the era of good treatment between people in a relationship. In a world where we are controlled by cellular and lack of subject, the script becomes very rich in subjects to discuss on the sofa.

Husbands and Wives

[oOoBarracuda · 9/10 · 14 July 2017]

Woody Allen went the documentary (ish) route, again, with his 1992 film Husbands and WIves. The film follows a married couple's deterioration after their married friends decide to separate. By telling the story in documentary format with a hand-held camera with a lot of movement and close-up shots, the audience is completely immersed in the story, almost like voyeurs as we see a marriage crumble apart.

Jack (Sydney Pollack) and Sally (Judy Davis) break some tough news to their friends Gabe (Woody Allen) and Judy (Mia Farrow) that they will be separating. Judy and Sally are quite nonchalant while delivering the news but Gabe and Judy are devastated. Gabe remarks that theirs is a marriage benchmark as he only thinks of them as "Jack and Sally". Judy is completely devastated even retiring to her bedroom in a dither over hearing the news. Gabe and Judy console themselves and each other as Jack and Sally go on to see other people. The news changes them, as well, however. Gabe and Judy both begin to question aspects of their life and relationship and start to believe that they may not be as happy in their marriage as they've grown comfortable believing. Gabe starts succumbing to the admiration of one of his female students and Judy realizes she is attracted to another man. What began as a series of changes in the lives of Jack and Sally has delivered life- changing impact for Gabe and Judy.

I love the documentary style Woody used for husbands and Wives. I've heard many criticize it, yet, I think it's perfect to convey the intimate emotions dealt with in the film. I especially enjoy how real Woody depicts human emotions in this film. Who hasn't recovered from a breakup when one moment you are whole, moving on, and living your life when all of a sudden you get a nagging thought in your head that you just can't shake and you become a mix of anger and desperation in an instant? That's exactly what Woody showed in the scene in which Sally was in the apartment of a man she was to go on a date with but she couldn't shake the news that Jack had moved someone in his home just three weeks after their separation. That scene, as gut-wrenching as it was, was my favorite because it was so real. That really is how emotions work, they are wild and unpredictable, quickly changing based on new information. Husbands and Wives was a truly human film with rich touches of Woody Allen (another Bergman reference and a comment from Woody about walking in Paris in the rain) definitely a stand out in the excellent filmography of Woody Allen.

overrated mid-life crisis dramedy, dated badly

[maxastree · 6/10 · 18 April 2015]

Husbands and Wives exemplifies everything that people "don't like" about Allen's work; that its Allen-centric, in that his literary leanings and obvious qualities as a writer for some reason put him in front of the camera half the time, and that the main characters are all over-privileged Manhattan creatives or academics with swanky apartments, that conveniently never seem to do any actual work, just revel in the emotional drama and romantic comedy potential of their personal lives.

I don't dislike Allen's films per se, his recent picture Blue Jasmine has an excellent script, by turns witty, brilliant, insightful etc. Everything Allen would ideally like to see in himself every morning in the mirror is here, and other films of his are well known little masterpieces, but Husbands and Wives is badly overrated, and it bothers me a bit that major voices in the US media nodded approvingly when the film opened. (see Rotten Tomatoes.com).

The main problem, to put it bluntly, is that 80% of the film is in hand held, head and shoulders footage of the actors, intercut with occasional locked off shots of the cast confessing guilt, contempt and regrets over their mid-life failed marriages. This, in itself, makes the film feel more like a radio play that happens to take place on screen, and although shaky hand held shots can (and do) create a 'there, in the middle of it all' feel for drama, it goes way overboard. The film feels cheap, claustrophobic and repetitive.

The other problem is the plot - or lack of. Essentially, this is the story of two couples entering mid life, feeling disappointed with their relationships and going through with break-ups and affairs, and Husbands and Wives is definitely more drama than comedy. In both cases, the husbands leave their partners for younger women, in Allen's case considerably younger, and in the other guys case, just for a young blonde that likes sex. There's not much to add here plotwise, except the situation opens up a lot of space for Allen's observations on relationships and human sexuality in a mature sense that you don't find often elsewhere in Hollywood movies.

...But did I mention the film feels plot less? It definitely does! Woody Allen's real talents are his skills as a writer and his ability to create great female characters, so during a revelatory and surprisingly funny exchange between Allen and his extramarital crush (a 20 year old literature student, played by Juliette Lewis) the film feels finished, but for some reason drags on for yet more, and more arguments, observations, exchanges etc. Its a badly made movie, without much plot and some big name actors taking a pay cut to work with a writing talent. Is it a great movie? Well, sales aren't an indicator of quality, but its a modestly budgeted movie that only made half its investment back. Other films of his live up to their reputation, this one doesn't.

Allen at his most bitter and least romantic

[L. Lion · 5/10 · 21 February 2007]

Woody Allen's Husbands and Wives tellingly came at the tale-end of his relationship with Mia Farrow, while he was already involved with Soon-Yi. Allen has always immersed himself and his personality in his films. In the 1970s he viewed himself in a more romantic vein, and his films sprang with hope and comedy amid neurosis. By the time his relationship with Farrow was about to come to its volcanic end, he is in the bitter grounds. The result is a film that becomes more and more uncomfortable and unpleasant to watch.

Allen casts himself and Farrow as the comfortably married couple whose relationship is fraying - he wants a child and she doesn't, she is drawn to a colleague at work (Liam Neeson) and they ignore each other at home. They are shocked when their friends, played by Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis, announce an amicable divorce. What does this mean for their relationship? Allen finds himself being drawn in by a 20-year old student (Juliette Lewis) with a penchant for flings with older men (and a self-confidence about herself and the torture she puts her men through" "I'm worth it" she states). Farrow is more and more drawn to Neeson, but she sabotages herself by setting him up with her newly divorced friend, Davis.

While the ground being covered by Allen is interesting, he clearly had little or no sympathy for his characters. All of them, even Neeson, who is romantic to the point of being dim, become more and more repellent as the film progresses. Scenes seem constructed simply so that the characters can have uncontrolled, outrageous emotional outbursts, and they do things that are unbelievable in their shortsightedness (SPOILERS BELOW): Allen's character, Gabe, is a professor and novelist. Attracted to Lewis, and not interested in the input from his wife, he entrusts a 20-year old with THE ONLY COPY OF HIS NEW NOVEL, which she loses in a taxi. While this might have been a believable plot twist prior to cheap and commercially available photocopying (say, the 1940s), by the 1990s, when word processors, hard drives, Kinko's et. al. are common, this is a unbelievable. Either the character is exceptionally stupid, or it's a plot device to provide conflict between Allen and Lewis. Neither explanation works in the context of the script. We already know Allen's relationship with Farrow is dying (both on screen and, as it turns out, in real life), so we don't need this episode as a way to force the characters together.

Allen should already be fleeing from Lewis. She has shown, with no hint of remorse, that she is a one-way train wreck and takes all of her older lovers with her. By showing only that dimension to her, and depending on Lewis' prettiness to draw men to the character, he is badly miscalculating the audience.

Farrow's character is just as bad. She hovers over Neeson at work in a manner that makes it obvious what her feelings are (to the viewer and, it would seem, everyone else in her office). Even at home, where she is cold to Allen and he oblivious to her, what could have been interesting scenes investigating the dynamic of alienation are wasted. These people have lost the ability to care about one another and don't even notice.

Neeson's Michael, the lone romantic, is also portrayed as stupid. Davis' character, in her first date with Neeson, is hypercritical and obnoxious about everything about their evening (she could have done the Alfredo sauce better, she doesn't like Mahler, she criticizes the way Michael drives etc. etc.), yet Michael is somehow attracted to her. How? He hasn't been shown to be a masochist. Davis is shrewish and antagonistic - there is nothing in the slightest appealing about her. At work, Farrow hovers over him in a manner that even an alien to the species would not mistake. She couldn't be more obvious if she doffed her clothes and sat down on his desk with her legs spread.

Sydney Pollack fares no better. Having left his wife, he takes up with a sexy aerobics instructor (Lysette Anthony). Unfortunately, she is dim, and argues about the veracity of astrology at parties. Having learned his wife is in a new relationship, Pollack suddenly becomes jealous, gets into a screaming fight with Anthony at the party, and high tails it over to his ex-wife, GIRLFRIEND IN TOW, to confront her and Neeson. One clever end to this would have been Neeson and Anthony, who are simultaneously ignored by their paramours, bonding and falling in love with one another, although Allen makes this impossible by making Anthony's character too stupid. Pollack and Davis get back together, Neeson is heartbroken and eventually soothed by Farrow, who leaves Allen. Allen is the only one who winds up alone.

Being forced to watch ostensibly intelligent characters ignore the obvious and then be subject to their tantrums is made worse by Allen's pursuit of a cinema verite aspect - the use of a jerky hand-held camera zooming around from character to character while they make their pronouncements. Allen is never a bad filmmaker, but he has made an uncomfortable and unpleasant film. Of his introspective 90's work I felt Deconstructing Harry worked better. Of course, comedies such as Bullets Over Broadway and Mighty Aphrodite are also quite worthwhile.

Is Such Thing as Perfect Relationship Possible? How to Find and to Keep It?

[Galina_movie_fan · 8 September 2004]

Woody Allen makes good, very good, and excellent films.

Husbands and Wives is a very good film with excellent performances. It is not a comedy but rather a dramedy that explores marriages and relationships of four main characters. It has several funny moments and dialogs (it is Allen after all) but it has disturbing and sad scenes, too.

When Jack and Sally (Sidney Pollack and Judy Davis) announce that they're separating, this comes as a shock to their best friends Gabe and Judy (Allen and Farrow). They start to reevaluate their own marriage only to find out that it is not as perfect as they thought. Very soon Jack and Sally, and then Gabe and Judy start to meet new people - young, bright, and attractive. They all hope that new is better, and for some of them it is true while the others come to understanding that true love involves loving another's imperfections even when very well aware of them.

This film is for all husbands and wives, lovers, and partners around the world. It is for couples who've been in a relationship for a month, a year, or decades. It is for singles who are ready or who think they want to enter a relationship. It is also for people who don't. All of us have been or may find ourselves in a situation or relationship or having a conversation like the ones in the Allen's film. All of us think and talk about love, trust, understanding, fidelity, sex, and yes - marriage.

The best scenes of the film belong to Allen and Farrow. Some of their conversations in the movie probably reflect the situation in their own relationship that ended soon after the film was made. It is the last film Allen made with Farrow.

Judy Davis played the role of her carrier practically stealing the film. I was shocked to find out that she received all possible Critics Awards that year and lost Best Supporting Oscar to Marisa Tomei. I love Tomei's performance in My Cousin Vinny (1992) but nomination itself would've been enough. Davis was the Best Supporting actress (I saw all films with nominated performances). Sidney Pollack (The Oscar winning director of Out of Africa and two times nominee for Tootsie and They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) and Liam Nisson were wonderful. I did not like Juliet Lewis at all. What she did adorably in Cape Fear with De Niro for ten minutes scene, she tried to stretch for over an hour here - did not work, IMO.

I like "Husbands and Wives" - it was interesting to watch, and it left me thinking if such thing as perfect relationship is ever possible, and what it would take to not only find it but to keep it.

A very smart, grown-up film about the nature of marriage

[runamokprods · 9/10 · 2 July 2010]

An intelligent, complex, sometimes very funny look at the ins and outs of adult relationships and marriage.

I admire the way the film works hard to avoid casting too much blame on any of the characters while not letting anyone off the hook for their actions either. Like all of us, these are flawed, very... human characters just trying to find a way to be happy in the thickets of marriage, divorce and love.

All the acting is quite good, although Judy Davis, while always great, and wildly entertaining, seemed a bit over-the-top on the ice queen meter, to the point where it was a bit hard for me to believe Liam Neeson's character falling for her.

Ultimately quite sad in it's recognition about just how difficult keeping relationships alive and healthy can be.

You couldn't survive off the island of Manhattan for more than 48 hours.

[sharky_55 · 9/10 · 8 August 2016]

Husband and Wives attempts to navigate the tricky territory surrounding two married couples in their middle ages, one of which has suddenly announced their separation. Farrow's Judy takes the Allen role here; she is almost offended at this sudden change in their within their comfort, projecting hard and yet unable to accept that this is an outcome that she wants for herself. Allen's camera departs from its usual fare, the serenity in the stillness, the roving, unbroken long takes that let the performances and script shine. It whips backs and forth with the jerkiness and blurred vision of an intruder of this intimate moment, as unbelieving as Judy herself, shocked by the revelation. The dialogue does not pause for a witty insight - it is overlapping, interrupting, reflecting the fragmentation of their relationships to come (and which has perhaps already begun long ago).

Judy Davis is a marvel. She is the hit hard the most of the following events, despite how Farrow might act, because she is the one left initially alone, and her ex-husband has found a prettier and younger thing. And in just three weeks, no less; upon discovering this she whips up a fury that seems to charge the frames to rumble themselves. Davis is restless, trembling, a bundle of nervous energy openly and without inhibition. By contrast Jack seems to be having the time of his life, snuggling, teasing, kissing his new shiny partner, flaunting his rediscovery. Gabe predictably treats this as an intellectual sin: "You're IQ's gone into remission," he remarks. It is not like him.

The interactions in Husbands and Wives are wonderful because they are full to the brim of bitter, distrusting adults that have grown weary of keeping up appearances over a lifetime. The navigation of the business of love and romance and dating in these middles ages is a contemptuous battleground, full of baggage, frustration and insecurity. Judy asks her husband is she wants someone new, and underlines the question strongly with connotations of her own desires, but would sooner explode at his wrong answer first. He answers correctly, and flips the question back to her, and the atmosphere is stagnant with their dual dissatisfaction. Davis can barely contain her misery even after a wonderful night, her voiced enjoyment undercut by a biting scorn at Mahler's sentimentalism or watery Alfredo sauce.

The faux-documentary style is appropriate when we are witnessing characters and relationships exploding and releasing a storm of emotions, and yet at times it takes away from the moment. Aside from the hand-held there are also snippets of talking heads, snap zooms and injections of the snappy narrator's comments, but they feel like stealing ripe opportunities right from under our noses, moments of truth and vulnerability in-between the play-acting. Case in point: Judy has all but set up her dream date for Michael and Sally, and is swooning at his descriptions of the night out. The dramatic irony of the sudden rainstorm during their lunch is the universe openly mocking her chances. And yet the culmination of all this is Farrow merely voicing her envy to the camera. Why not follow her shuffling away to the other room, sitting down and breathing hard, letting the take linger until it becomes uncomfortable? Let Farrow act, let her display that tremendous and natural vulnerability within her.

The editing is vicious, even more so than when it exposed Alvy Singer's hypocrisy in Annie Hall. It cuts deep down into the married couples instabilities, juxtaposing the fiery highs and the nostalgic lows into a flurry of realisation. He departs to follow a similar path as Jack, chasing after the metaphorical lost youth. Because it is a purely physical affair, he ignores the warning signs, the fictitious nature of her stormy and tempestuous personality. But surprisingly there is a reversal. She comes to fetishise his maturity and intellectualism, which is a dream come true for the Allen type, but he falters. There are thunderstorms, birthday wishes and candles, all set up for him, but he does not characteristically pounce. This is not a clumsy autobiographical element as many have proposed. Rain criticises (and rightfully, if you are familiar with the Allen type) the less savoury aspects of his novel, and initiates the moment. But he admits that "I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't want to get hurt.", and realises that it will not last. A romantic illusion, but a comfortable one for some.

are you a hedgehog or a fox?

[lasttimeisaw · 7/10 · 16 February 2017]

Released in the hype of Allen and Farrow's breakup in the wake of his infamous Soon-Yi scandal, HUSBANDS AND WIVES archly and topically plumbs into the marital conundrums of two couples, Gabe (Allen) and Judy (Farrow, bookends her collaboration with Allen to the tune of 13), and their best friends Jack (Pollack) and Sally (Davis).

For one thing, the film adopts a jittery cinematographic style (aided by hand-held cameras and Steadi-cams) which certainly is not Allen's modus operandi, and lets rip the neurotic, taxing, unrelieved relationship squabbles to full throttle, inflamed by Jack and Sally's abrupt declaration of their separation after being married for over 15 years. Two different reactions ensure, Gabe retains his sangfroid facing a bolt from the blue but Judy apparently loses it, thinking that her closest friend has been keeping her marriage snags to herself, that seems to be a big blow to their time- honoured friendship, but on a more intuitive level (as later Sally astutely dissects), there is something deeply self-serving in Judy's reaction.

Gabe and Judy are jolted to scrutinize their own 10-year-young matrimony, where crevices start to crack open, here, Allen deploys another gimmick, a faux-documentary with character revealing their inner feelings in the form of an interview, Gabe confesses he is a sucker for "kamikaze women" (with trying smugness) until he meets Judy, whom he deciphers is a mastermind of passive-aggressive manipulation, aka. she always gets what she wants in the end. That is what happens, Allen, a professor in literary, becomes increasingly attracted by one of his student Rain (Lewis) while being self-aware of the clichéd professor-student entanglement. Meanwhile, Judy, lends a helping hand by introducing her newly single colleague Michael (Neeson, a disarmingly pleasurable presence) to Sally, who is fumed when she finds out Jack has moved in with his new lover Sam (Anthony), a young aerobics trainer, merely three weeks after their separation. But, what complicates the situation is, subconsciously, Judy carries a torch for the gentlemanlike Michael, so in the end of the day, a paradigm shift is bound to shatter the status quo.

Allen's script, as rapier-like as always in laying bare the intricate verities of gender politics and monogamous dilemma, eventually, plumps for a morally ego-boosting windup for Gabe (Allen's alter-ego) who has savored the tempting kiss from a young hottie he craves for, and then rebuffs her advance with all the dignity in the world to remain morally uncorrupted (which blows up in audience's face when juxtaposed with its sardonic divergence from reality), whereas for Judy, her seemingly happy ending betrays Gabe's own complacent shrewdness of knowing her too well, for my money, that's where this otherwise rather piquant and honest-to-goodness modern marriage assessment leaves an unsavory aftertaste, which actually has been lurking behind a majority of Allen's oeuvre.

But what makes HUSBANDS AND WIVIES head and shoulders over his lesser works is the cynosure of the cast, namely, the divine Judy Davis, an ever-so entrancing showstopper, revels in emitting of Sally's often self-contradictory but ultimately revealing emotional states with sheer intensity, veracity without forfeiting the salutary outpourings of humor and wits (her post-coital "hedgehogs and foxes" rumination is a gas!), Marisa Tomei, as excellent as she is in MY COUSY VINNY (1992), should hand over her Oscar to Mr. Davis, a blatant robbery in the Academy history. Whilst no one can steal the limelight from her, one must admit Sydney Pollack is quite a trouper in the other side of the camera as well, his outstanding two-hander with a feisty Lysette Anthony alone can effortlessly bust a gut, which only leaves, the story-line concerns Gabe and Judy pales in comparison with its pseudo-cerebral self-deception and self-doubt, no wonder Jack and Sally would not open up to them, they are much messier.

The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence

[niro1001 · 9/10 · 4 April 2020]

The film captures you at the very first scene, and it ends before you notice. An important lesson can be learned from the film - "The grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence". Woody couldn't deliver it better. Every character has a significant depth and conflicts, together with a great story behind. The chemistry between them is very exciting, and the actors deliver a great performance. A great insight is that in real life, Woody and Mia broke up the same year. Is it coincidential?

Men, women and the slow erosion of marriage

[dierregi · 6/10 · 8 June 2016]

In documentary-style, Allen shows us what most middle aged couples fear to face: the dissolution of their marriages, due to habit, boredom and frustration, that kind of situation that arises simply by living with someone for many years, without any major dramatic event triggering a divorce.

Allen and Farrow plays Gabe and Judy. Since the movie was the last before their acrimonious split, most of their dialogue sounds uncomfortably realistic. Pollack and Davis are their friends Jack and Sally, who set the story in motion with their "trial" separation.

Soon all four friends are entangled in new relationships or fantasise about one. Sally and then Judy are attracted to romantic Michael (Neeson), while Gabe is infatuated with Rain (Juliette Lewis) a student, who reciprocates.

However, Rain is "just" a groupie for older-men with a most annoying nasal voice and this indiscretion ends nowhere. On a side note, I never liked Lewis, who once again plays a feeble, coquettish nymphet.

I am not a big fan of Farrow, either and with her oversize sweaters, long skirts and short hair she is here at her most unattractive. Her character is whiny and pushy, making her my least favorite of the quartet.

Sally is also an annoying character, so neurotic as to make you wonder why Jack would consider going back to her, while Jack is the usual middle-aged man lured into a relationship by sex with a younger model.

The movie ends with a twist that I found hard to believe, and a lot of ambiguity about the future of the characters that I found a lot more believable. Not for the romantics, but definitely worthy.

"50 000 dollars worth of psychotherapy dialing 911"

[imseeg · 8/10 · 26 October 2018]

What is this thing called love? Or the lack of love, that would be a better way to describe "Husbands and Wives", because love has turned sour in this Woody Allen drama comedy.

A lot of whining between middle aged married adults is going on, lots and lots of it. Husbands and wives are accusing the other partner of lacking in love and understanding.

When I first saw this picture decades ago, I felt really depressed afterwards. Thought of it as one of the most depressing Woody Allen pictures I had ever seen. But there are still some very subtle tongue in cheek jokes to be enjoyed. There are still enough lighthearted moments, but you must be able to stand lots of quarreling.

Judy Davis, as one of the wives, excells at this quarreling between husbands and wives. I think she was the funniest, because she was THAT insecure and THAT obnoxious that she became hilarious at moments. Or to put it simply like Judy Davis said it: "Marriage is a BUFFER for loneliness"

How strange it may sound, but now when I am older I love the more serious and bleak Woody Allen pictures better than his slapstick comedies. "Enjoy" this depressing, yet still witty trip into the rut called marriage...

Take the Marriage and Run

[caspian1978 · 6/10 · 6 March 2005]

In many ways, Husbands and Wives is filmed like Take the Money and Run. An interesting a popular style used by Woody Allen, this is a typical Woody Allen movie. It is funny and entertaining with a good ending. Woody Allen stars alongside his former wife Mia Farrow. This is one of the later films the two worked on together. The chemistry is there between the two actors. In a way, the movie is apart of their real lives living as husband and wife. Two surprise parts to this movie were amazing performances by actors Sydney Pollack and Juliette Lewis. Both are better than terrific, they make you forget that they are actors as they give 2 realistic performances. Pollack only is not only natural but funny. Lewis is beautiful and a talent among her peers. Together, they had to the movie's success. Not a slap stick comedy, but another great movie about relationships.

A NY Version of Bergman's "Scenes From a Marriage"

[filmbuff101 · 9/10 · 22 August 2001]

I am surprised that so few people mention that this film is so obviously inspired by Bergman's television series - which was later edited into a film.

As Scenes from a Marriage is perhaps my favourite Bergman film, it makes sense I guess that this is my favourite Woody Allen film.

If you like this film, I would highly recommend Bergman's "Scenes" and vice versa.

Regarding H&W, it is great in that it uncovers the savagery involved in love and breakups that many films gloss over. There are also some touching moments, but for the most part the film is an investigation into the darker side of relationships and egos.

I love it!

-BB

A sucker punch to marriage

[moonspinner55 · 7/10 · 18 May 2002]

'Mature' is an apt description of this drama written and directed by Woody Allen, concerning a married couple in NYC whose relationship hits a wall after finding out their best friends are splitting up. It's an often gut-wrenching picture that doesn't shy away from some really tough scenes and emotions. That said, I didn't quite buy the ending that attempts to wrap things up with a smile; this plastic conclusion seems foisted upon Allen, who first sucker punches marriage and then gives us an everything-will-be-OK tag. Allen shows no signs of personal belief in this section of the picture (it's a throwaway job), yet it's such a small portion that it can be forgiven--or, at the least, overlooked. Mia Farrow and (especially) Sydney Pollack do amazing work, and Woody gives another of his wise performances playing a writer/college professor, but Judy Davis' high-strung and bitterly-stung character--cultured to the point of being so cerebral, she can't relax--tends to grate if she's on the screen too long (and she is). **1/2 from ****

Jerky camera, Jerky movie

[JasparLamarCrabb · 2/10 · 5 September 2005]

If it weren't for the hopeless September, HUSBANDS AND WIVES would be Woody Allen's worst film. After Judy Davis and Sydney Pollack announce that they're divorcing, friends Allen and Mia Farrow start to re-examine their own relationship, with Allen starting an odd -- and creepy --- relationship with young student Juliette Lewis. Pretentious in the extreme --- Allen and Lewis discuss Rilke --- this is a god-awful movie and, as with most of his failed attempts at drama, Allen leaves ALL humor behind. It's as if he thinks having any levity leak in would dilute the impact of whatever he's trying to put across. The hand-held camera work doesn't help either...it's one thing to go hand-held to heighten the realism, but here it's so jerky and extreme, it's sickening.