edwagreen A wonderful film where Streep and DeNiro meet by accident and when they take each other's gifts in error, the love process starts.Though both are married to lovely people, there has something gone out of each marriage. Each person seems to be living parallel lives with regard to the other.For Streep, the relationship comes at a time of her father's illness and subsequent passing. DeNiro, in construction, has the opportunity to go to Houston.The story is told in plain, simple matter. There are no overt sexual scenes or violence.I questioned the role of Dianne Wiest here. Her character is under-rated and she was virtually mumbling along the way.

Zim_Babwe This movie proves it. Stay single, stay honest and have fun! Why jumping into marriage, then get tired, then cheat, then lie, then make excuse, and make everybody's life miserable and complicated? Look at Frank, look at Ed, look at Molly.Just imagine, if you are forced to eat ham and cheese everyday 3 times a day rest of your life, what would you do? You will go eat from the bin! Just imagine, if you are forced to wear the same sweater everyday rest of your life, you will go out of your mind until you are choked and rip it off to shreds! Marriage is a very wrong concept where two partners are tied up and stuck in a situation like this. Resuls in cheating and divorce. That's the reason, most married people crave to cheat their spouse. Affair adds spice to their boring life. But then again, why saying those words in the first place, "for better or worse, richer and poorer, until death do us apart", when everybody already knows marriage is obviously NOT going to last for ever. Then why going through this hypocrisy? Can you guaranty that some day you will not meet somebody else who you will find more compatible. Human beings fall for temptations, it's their nature.Maryl Streep manages to irritate me in almost all her movies. Can she say a complete sentence properly? It was like she was forgetting her lines from the script or didn't read her lines or something! And what's with the over-sized dresses and jackets, like 5 size larger than her actual size? Frank's wife is lovely, but Molly's husband looks like a homeless bum. Molly deserved better. On the other hand, what did Frank lack in his married life? Somebody please tell me that. So he cheated just for fun? for a change? This movie makes us ponder about hypocrisy, honesty, faith and temptations.

moonspinner55 "Brief Encounter" redux has Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep, both involved in satisfying marriages, crossing paths several times before meeting each other and developing their attraction. This platonic affair isn't shown to be therapeutic for the two--in fact, it's just the opposite (Streep never looks like she's having fun). The movie examines the guilt-factor in the idea of an extra-marital fling, and director Ulu Grosbard is very adept at scaling back the temperaments of his stars (their rapport is fairly smooth). Still, a sexless affair doesn't lend itself to involving, enveloping drama, and that precise lack of passion makes itself felt. "Falling in Love" is as generic as the title. Any two competent actors could have played Frank and Molly, and the coy miscues, as well as the wholly unnecessary epilogue, handicap it in the end. ** from ****

roghache This pathetic cinematic attempt stole a few ideas from the 1945 black and white classic Brief Encounter, but believe me, this is no Brief Encounter. The only similarities are the trains and the unconsummated affair between two people married to others. The story revolves around two married, fairly affluent suburbanites, Frank and Molly, who meet in a New York bookshop while Christmas shopping, and later encounter each other on a commuter train, first by accident, then (as their mutual attraction grows) by design. Frank has two small boys, and Molly has lost a baby girl a year or two earlier. They then proceed very ploddingly and boringly to fall in love.The movie does get off to a promising start, with the festive, bustling New York Christmas atmosphere. I had great expectations, considering these two stars. Neither Robert DeNiro nor Meryl Streep should have stooped to the level of this dull drivel, though they probably did the best they could with what they have here...a plodding plot, unsympathetic characters, and the poorest dialogue in cinematic history.The screenplay has not a single original phrase and could have been written by a middle school student. There is a fair bit of mindless profanity of the 'O, my G--' type, always easy to write. I note that at least one famous critic lamented the poor script, so I am not alone. Poor Molly literally can't get through an entire sentence without stumbling and stammering. I had enough of this verbal bumbling about after 15 minutes, and after two hours was practically frothing at the mouth. If the point is that forbidden attraction is making Molly tongue tied like a schoolgirl, that might work for the first couple of encounters but not indefinitely.The pair seem juvenile and absurd when trying to physically groom to attract the other. When Frank asks his friend whether he's good looking, I could hardly keep from laughing. Molly fares little better while trying on a number of outfits to determine which will prove most attractive for her new man. Also, they both come off as immature teenagers chit chatting to their best friends about their new love interests. This fails miserably as an endearing indication that they feel young and fresh, falling in love like a couple of school kids. My sympathies lie with the harmless and hapless spouses. These marriages may not be that exciting but don't seem troubled, making sympathy unlikely for these would be adulterers. Molly's husband, Brian, is a quiet physician, occasionally off in his own world dealing with the distressing patient losses he must face in his career. However, he's very kind and supportive of his wife when she has her hysterical tizzy fit at her father's grave side, caused by anguish over the affair rather than grief for her dad. Who can blame him when he lies on the phone to Frank in the hopes of discouraging the lover? Frank's wife, Ann, is a pretty and apparently loving brunette, a wholesome gardening type and devoted mother. I felt like slapping Frank virtually throughout the movie. Happily, Ann DOES slap him across the face when she realizes his love for another! No, Frank & Molly do not have sex but the affair is just too dreary for it to make any difference. The pair do make it to the bed, but Molly puts the brakes on. Now if FRANK had put the brakes on, that might have been a bit more original.These two characters are neither interesting nor sympathetic. Affairs are only of interest when guilt is present, some sense of inner conflict to add interest to the character. Sadly, there is little guilt here other than a smidgen in Molly. Frank indicates no regard at all for either his wife or his two charming young sons. Worst of all, we have the uninspiring message that it's just dandy to break up two homes (one with children) as a result of being attracted to someone else. The pair get together in the end, the spouses conveniently gotten out of the picture in predictable, uninteresting ways. Ann goes home to her mother, and Molly apparently leaves Brian (or vice versa). Really, difficult as it is to believe with these two talented actors, this movie has little to recommend it. It's not a case of adultery but sheer unadulterated boredom.Instead of this disgusting drivel, treat yourself to Brief Encounter, the genuine article and a true classic.