“Le Week-End” A Marriage-Go-Round” (Film Review)

LE WEEKEND poster

 

Charming, realistic and yet scary the comedy/drama Le Week-End takes you into a world with a bleak look at an aging couple that finds themselves entering a difficult time in their lives without a golden parachute.  Delightfully acted and brilliantly directed, the film is a mental picture of the evolution of a marriage.

Nick Burroughs (Jim Broadbent) and his wife Meg (Lindsay Duncan) arrive in Paris to spend a weekend for their wedding anniversary where they honeymooned so long ago.  They are in their declining years and find themselves at odds with each other.  Meant to be a holiday getaway from the drudgery of everyday life, their trip is about to open doors to a world that dwells within them. It’s one that includes their future relationship and opening the proverbial “Pandora’s Box”.

Nick Burrows (Jim Broadbent) and Meg Burrows (Lindsay Duncan)

Nick Burrows (Jim Broadbent) and Meg Burrows (Lindsay Duncan)

The two are the epitome of boredom, fading sexuality, dissatisfaction and “the clock is running out”. Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill) moves his film along at a fast pace showing the inside and out of his main characters.  He creates the perfect couple who find that life has brought them to a point of looking at what they were and what they missed.  In the midst of all this is Paris the city of light, a perfect place for them to explore their inner selves on the chance that there’s a spark left to rekindle the deep love they once had.

Broadbent works his character into a desperate man who sees nothing good in Meg’s vision of their future.  He still desires her sexually, but Meg seems to have misplaced that part of their marriage.  Groveling at times for her to accept his needs, she uses it to tantalize, but in the end there’s lack of fire. Duncan’s character feels she’s bored, dissatisfied with the life she has built with Nick and wonders if she can have a better life with another.  Lost in herself, she shows the urgency of either repairing or moving on.

The film is a work of art by writer Hanif Kureishi (“My Beautiful Laundrette”, “Venus”), a tour de force in the realm of the twilight of one’s days.  Beautifully characterized, drawn and presented in an element where the couple has to face each other without family distraction. It’s the ideal setting for this test of a long marriage.

Jeff Goldblum as Morgan in Le Week-End

Jeff Goldblum as Morgan in Le Week-End

The cinematography and set locations are gorgeous, taking the couple on a tour of landmarks and bistros.  Views from terraces and diner at elegant restaurants provide some of the backdrop of this creative, enticing and sometimes comedic romp around Paris. The close-ups tell the tale of aging and urgency within the players to either quit their beleaguered dreams or steady the course.  The most descriptive scenes are those in the party to which they get invited by Nick’s old friend Morgan (Jeff Goldblum).  Here the two open up with a mash-up of their lives taking the film into the finale.

Director Roger Michell on the set

Director Roger Michell on the set of Le Week-End

It’s not every day a movie like Le Week-End comes along.  Not because of the aging theme which has been a mainstay of formidable actors, but depicting the actuality of people’s inevitable transitions in life. I am certain you will like this film, whether you are reaching your golden years or your parents are dealing with it.  Heck, you may even see a little bit of yourself.

Le Week-End has been rated R for language and some sexual content. Although it takes place in France, the dialogue is in English.

FINAL ANALYSIS: A very good film that puts aging center stage. (A)

Additional Film Information:
Cast: Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum.
Directed by: Roger Michell
Genre: Comedy/Drama
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content
Running Time: 1 hr 33 min
Release Date: April 4, 2014
Distributed by: Music Box Films

NOW PLAYING AT “THE LANDMARK THEATERS” in Los Angeles, please check your local listings for show times.

OPENING THIS FRIDAY AT THEATERS IN Miami, Orlando and Tampa

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