Review: Blue Valentine (2010)

Blue Valentine

Rating

Director

Derek Cianfrance

Screenplay

Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne

Length

1h 52m

Starring

Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman, Mike Vogel, Marshall Johnson, Jen Jones, Maryann Plunkett, James Benatti, Barbara Troy, Carey Westbrook, Ben Shenkman

MPAA Rating

Review

Familiar stories told in new ways define much of the independent cinema landscape. Blue Valentine tries to present a familiar story with a slight alteration to how it’s presented and perhaps it shouldn’t have.

Two parallel stories unravel, the main is the present day where Dean (Ryan Gosling) is a chain-smoking alcoholic and his wife Cindy (Michelle Williams) is a harried mother trying to balance a career and family life. Dean doesn’t see the struggles and frustrations Cindy faces but Cindy isn’t forthcoming with those issues, which include a boss who’s edging his way towards sexual harassment and a husband who can’t see the bigger picture. The other is the story of young Dean and Cindy and the situations that led them towards marriage and the issues each faced from different but foundational problems that will ultimately undermine their relationship.

Both stories are told chronologically but are only shifted between when narrative points demand. Unfortunately, those are few and so the film feels like two movies crammed together unnecessarily. Neither a more fractured nor a more linear storyline would have made sense, so the end result is the best the audience can expect. Writer/director Derek Cianfrance along with co-writers Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne provide as much context and movement as they can but the film is carried by its two central performances.

Although early in both actors’ careers, Gosling and Williams show a level of maturity as actors few of their generation possessed. Each brings a world-weary experience to their present-day characters while shifting their tone slightly to make their younger selves more free-spirited with dreams of their own. Their eventual relationship and marriage are believable as are their unraveling married moments. Williams shifts from ambitious youth to frustrated adult, never quite achieving her dreams. Gosling’s arc is a little more subtle from somewhat considerate youth to disaffected adult. You can see why Cindy fell in love with Dean but also why she can end their relationship while still having feelings for him.

That quiet realism gives the film its dramatic punch. Although the story doesn’t go very far, limiting its scope to a series of long takes that make a film that’s almost 2 hours feel like it hasn’t accomplished much in that timeframe. Anchored by superb central performances, Blue Valentine is a movie that works as far as it can but relies almost entirely on the actors to sell it rather than any weight or resonance of the narrative.