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Best known for such low-key dramas as The Brothers McMullen, She's the One and Sidewalks of New York, writer-director Edward Burns is no stranger to depicting the trials and tribulations that put our most intimate relationships through the wringer. Whether his leads are Irish-Catholic brothers from Long Island or complete strangers who find their lives interconnecting in unexpected ways, Burns' films are usually filled with witty dialogue and relatable scenarios that remind viewers of his talent for crafting compelling, character-driven stories. And with his latest, Millers in Marriage, the 56-year-old filmmaker is proving he hasn't lost his touch, in this ensemble drama about the troubled marriages of three grown siblings, each of whom are trying to find their own version of happiness. Maggie, Eve and Andy Miller (Julianna Margulies, Gretchen Mol and Burns) are 50-something-year-old siblings whose widowed father has been dating women 25 years his junior; so when it comes to long-term commitment goals, they don't exactly have a good role model to look up to. Married to Nick (Campbell Scott), Scott (Patrick Wilson) and Tina (Morena Baccarin), respectively, they've each had their hearts ripped out on more than one occasion. But while Andy is the only one of the three to have the good sense to have left his former spouse, both Maggie and Eve still find themselves drowning in their own sorrows, especially when it comes to gathering up the courage to confront the problems in their unhappy unions. A writer and a former rock musician, Maggie and Eve will each find their loyalties to their husbands tested when two new potential suitors (Brian D'Arcy James and Benjamin Bratt) enter their lives. Despite feeling romantically acknowledged for the first time in years, however, is it enough to spur them to finally make the hard decision they've been putting off for so long? Or will they choose to leave things unchanged and remain exactly where they've always been? Suffice to say, the answer may not surprise. Still, what Millers in Marriage lacks in spontaneity it more than makes up for with the quality of its script and the caliber of its acting. A tender, occasionally humorous, and introspective look at what happens when we reach a certain age and realize that some of the dreams we hold onto the tightest have gone unfulfilled, this is a story that will resonate the strongest with viewers who happen to be at or beyond the same life stage as the characters on screen. For everyone else, however, it might be hard to appreciate the movie's nuances now, but just give it a few years and your opinion might change. |
Millers in Marriage screens under the Special Presentations programme at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. Its runtime is 1 hr. 57 min.
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