With all due respect to Sujit R. Varma (who wrote the summary), when you say... "A comedy drama set in modern day Florida concerning two vibrant women who find themselves, after their big time dreams have not panned out, back in their small neighboring hometowns..." you're implying that everyone else in town succeeded in achieving their "big time dreams" EXCEPT Marly (Edie Falco) and Desiree (Angela Bassett).
But Marly and Desiree aren't the only ones who return home "older & wiser," so do Marly's ex-husband (the former Rock musician) and Desiree's ex-boyfriend (the former college football star). So I think the point is about growing-up more generally. Many of us, if we're lucky, have "big time dreams" as teenagers. Then life happens: we make various choices, some of our dreams come true, some of our dreams change, and one day, we find we've become adults. At that point, do we accept responsibility for our choices? Do we shrug off our disappointments and say "Hey, that's life?" Or do we wallow in self-pity, thinking of ourselves as powerless victims?
I find this film very optimistic and life-affirming. At the end, both Marly and Desiree take full ownership of their own lives, and you can sense that their specific families and their community in general will be better as a result.
When Sayles & Renzi made this new film, both were on the cusp of turning 50. (Sayles was born in 1950 & Renzi was born in 1951.) 50 is a milestone year. I know. I just turned 50 myself. I think Sayles and Renzi are saying you must decide: will you live your life as a morally awake individual... or just sit on the sidelines and complain?
Change is going to happen. Development is going to happen. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing. It's only bad if individuals abdicate their personal and civic responsibilities, don't stay informed, don't act, don't vote, don't care... just sit on the sidelines and complain. Bill Cobbs as Dr. Lloyd is the conscience of this film. Alan King as Murray Silver is the poet of this film. These are wonderful roles for two wonderful actors: two feisty old codgers who can teach everyone of us a thing or two. Add in Jane Alexander, Mary Alice, and Ralph Waite and you have a range of role models for growing old with dignity. When was the last time you had THOSE kind of options in an American film?
Thank you. John Sayles! Thank you, Maggie Renzi!
But Marly and Desiree aren't the only ones who return home "older & wiser," so do Marly's ex-husband (the former Rock musician) and Desiree's ex-boyfriend (the former college football star). So I think the point is about growing-up more generally. Many of us, if we're lucky, have "big time dreams" as teenagers. Then life happens: we make various choices, some of our dreams come true, some of our dreams change, and one day, we find we've become adults. At that point, do we accept responsibility for our choices? Do we shrug off our disappointments and say "Hey, that's life?" Or do we wallow in self-pity, thinking of ourselves as powerless victims?
I find this film very optimistic and life-affirming. At the end, both Marly and Desiree take full ownership of their own lives, and you can sense that their specific families and their community in general will be better as a result.
When Sayles & Renzi made this new film, both were on the cusp of turning 50. (Sayles was born in 1950 & Renzi was born in 1951.) 50 is a milestone year. I know. I just turned 50 myself. I think Sayles and Renzi are saying you must decide: will you live your life as a morally awake individual... or just sit on the sidelines and complain?
Change is going to happen. Development is going to happen. In and of itself, that's not a bad thing. It's only bad if individuals abdicate their personal and civic responsibilities, don't stay informed, don't act, don't vote, don't care... just sit on the sidelines and complain. Bill Cobbs as Dr. Lloyd is the conscience of this film. Alan King as Murray Silver is the poet of this film. These are wonderful roles for two wonderful actors: two feisty old codgers who can teach everyone of us a thing or two. Add in Jane Alexander, Mary Alice, and Ralph Waite and you have a range of role models for growing old with dignity. When was the last time you had THOSE kind of options in an American film?
Thank you. John Sayles! Thank you, Maggie Renzi!