Married Life

After entering into a passionate affair with a much younger woman, an unhappily married man resorts to murder as a means of sparing his frigid wife the humiliation of divorce in director Ira Sachs' suspenseful film noir. Set in the 1940s, Marriage tells the tale of Harry (Chris Cooper) -- a man ...more

Marriage can be a real bitch. Any of the principals in the stylized drama Married Life can attest to this fact. With half of marriages dissolving in divorce nowadays, the institution is arguably an outdated one. Marriage has been marred by cheatin' hearts since time immemorial. This film, a period piece taking place in the middle of last century, dips its toes in spousal melodrama and mystery throughout. Pierce Brosnan, with his golden-throated narrative voiceover, likens the situation to a ...more

The well acted but slight Married Life appears to be an excuse for lousy marriage jokes. Harry (Chris Cooper) tries poisoning sex-hungry Pat (Patricia Clarkson) in order to be free to marry his girlfriend, Kay (Rachel McAdams). Take his wife, please! The plot is as dull and unconvincing as it sounds. It's 1949 thoroughly -- from the Plymouths, Doris Day songs, and McAdams' Kim Novak platinum helmet to the film noir and domestic drama story elements threaded through the script. Director Ira ...more