richard-1787
For a decade or so, James Ivory directed a series of remarkable historical dramas that developed a well-deserved following, such as A Room with a View and Remains of the Day. Though this has a cast equal to the best of those, and the acting is indeed very fine, it is by no means as enjoyable as those masterpieces.The problem lies in the story. Mr. and Mrs. Bridge tells the story of an affluent couple in 1940s Mission Hills, KS. They are extremely sexually repressed, but it's not just a matter of sex. They have accepted all the upper middle-class values of their day, to the point that they simply do not allow themselves to live.Other movies have dealt with this same situation, and been more enjoyable because at least one character came to a realization of how those values imprisoned her/him and "made a break for it." Right off hand I think of Revolutionary Road, the 1950s story in The Hours, the wife in Pleasantville, etc. The Bridges go to Paris at one moment and the art in the Louvre seems to speak to her, but it never leads anywhere. Her best friend, who feels trapped in such a life, finally commits suicide, but it doesn't bring about an awakening in Mrs. Bridge. Finally, and perhaps symbolically, she becomes trapped in her car - but is towed out and goes on as before. From what I gather from some of the other reviews, Mrs. Bridge is presented as a dullard in the novel on which this is based, and her failure to see how lost she is presented as funny. That's certainly not the case here. We are supposed to sympathize with her, but she's so impervious sometimes, and downright dim-witted, that it's very hard to do so.Two hours of this is too much, and the end, which marks no change, emphasizes this. The story and the characters simply are not interesting enough to justify sitting through the movie, as well as it is acted and as beautifully as it is filmed. We get the point in the first 15 minutes or so; the rest of the movie adds nothing to that.I honestly cannot recommend that anyone watch it.
preppy-3
Sleep inducing story of an old married couple and their children. Walter Bridge (Paul Newman) is a mean obnoxious old man who treats everybody like dirt--especially his wife. India Bridge (Joanne Woodward) plays his long-suffering wife who fights to keep the family together. Their children--Carolyn (Margaret Walsh) and Douglas (Robert Sean Leonard)--want to live their own lives.Long, boring and wildly overpraised movie. This is one of those small art films that critics fell all over themselves raving about (mostly because they couldn't figure out what it was about so it MUST be intelligent). What this actually is is a character study of a heavily dysfunctional and VERY dull family. Nothing wrong with character studies but the characters have to be interesting...and these aren't! The script is by the numbers and has been done before in many other better films. Also this movie drags out for OVER 2 hours! You keep waiting for something to happen...and it doesn't! I was fighting to stay awake through the whole thing. The acting is all good (especially by Newman and Woodward) but it can't save such a dull film. Mostly forgotten...and for good reason! I give it a 1.
kertschy
You sit and wait, sit and wait, and after 2,5 hours when the movie is over, you wonder why you sat and waited. An absolute useless movie. A woman being treated like a slave all her life, being misunderstood even by her own children. The greatest moment in her life is when her hubby gives her a handpainted picture in Paris (a replica). Wow! No thread leading thru this movie, no plot, no climax, no hope.You would not expect good actors like Newman/Woodward in such a shallow movie. Even as a 30 min - sitcom, this movie would drive me nuts.The only reason why I did not switch off or fall asleep was the hope to detect at least one second of a sense, at least in the last minute.BUT: there was none.
Bob F.
This is definitely a nitch film that will not appeal to a mass audience. It's a rather uneventful story of a mid-western upper class WASP family, and the cultural milieu of their times. Set in the time frame of pre-World War II America, it is a series of vignettes of various characters' lives. Everything about the production is first class; from the acting to the lush settings. This is a film for those who prefer subtlety over action. This ain't a popcorn film, it is a movie for a quiet time where you can sit back and watch a serious character study. Too, a knowledge of the history of the time would be nice -- but not essential. I'll give it a solid *8*.
AD
