phoenixinvictus "A middle-aged man in a stagnant marriage finds his life upended when an attractive young woman and her seemingly abusive husband move in next door." That is the whole movie and in the end the abusive husband dies!Watching the news would have been more entertaining than this. I spent the entire movie waiting for something to happen and nothing did.

sddavis63 I needed to sit with this for a couple of days and give it some thought before I could actually write anything about it. To me, that's a good sign. This was a movie that required some reflection rather than just a knee jerk reaction. My initial reaction to it (even as I watched it) mirrored many of the comments I've seen made about it. It's very slow paced, and there are perhaps times when you wonder what the point of it is - if there is any real point. I've realized that maybe that is the point - that there's no real point to the movie. Not in a comedic "Seinfeld" sort of way, but in a more dramatic, slice of life fashion. We're just watching a guy whose life is slowly falling apart - and, at least for a while, he doesn't even realize that it's falling apart. As Mike, I thought William Fichtner put on a superb performance. He's a middle aged guy with a predictable but satisfactory life. His wife loves him, he loves his wife. They both have careers. They have a home. There might be a bit of tension with his son (the movie hints that the father-son relationship isn't perfect) but - hey - even that's part of real life. Basically, things are OK for Mike - if a little bit predictable. And then, into the middle of this predictable, "satisfactory" life, he gets new neighbours: Jenna and Scott. They're a young, attractive, friendly and outgoing couple. And Mike starts to fall for Jenna.That's where things go off track. Maybe until Jenna appeared he hadn't even realized that his life - being satisfactory - was actually a little unsatisfactory to him. And instead of choosing to spice up his own life and marriage, he falls for the fantasy. He gets increasingly obsessed with Jenna. It's a typical mid-life crisis, helped along by a friend of his who sees the spark with Jenna and encourages him to go with it - after all, in the eyes of his friend this is apparently how you keep your own marriage happy. This was where Fichtner really shone I thought. He's a quiet, soft spoken, kind of dull guy. He moves slowly, he speaks slowly, there doesn't seem to be much passion in him. Everything about him screams "average" and "typical." There's nothing outstanding about him. But he likes Jenna. Perhaps innocently at first. Even his wife teases him about having a "crush" on Jenna. But it grows and it grows. And Jenna's life isn't blissful either. Scott turns out to be a less than ideal husband, and Mike starts to think he's abusive toward Jenna. Jenna needs consoling - someone to make her feel better. And Mike's right there. And they connect. They kiss. Nothing more than that, but it's moving in the direction of something bigger. Jenna, to be honest, is a more or less sympathetic character. You can understand her starting to fall for a guy who's everything that her husband isn't - kind, attentive, gentle, helpful. But you're increasingly appalled by Mike. He had a good life - and he's throwing it all away. And the whole movie becomes this study of Mike, and his relationships with Jenna, and his wife, and ultimately with Scott - who definitely notices something's going on.I've seen Fichtner in a few things, and I have to admit that he's never really stood out from the crowd for me - but in this, he nailed the part. And I would credit Jessica McNamee as well. I'm totally unfamiliar with her, but she also captured the part of Jenna. At first, she's the young woman in the seemingly normal, happy marriage, but McNamee gradually and effectively reveals layers to the character as the movie went on. These were two very good performances. Admittedly, this movie isn't going to be for everyone. Those who've become accustomed to high-octane all-action films are going to find this a frustrating "slog" to say the least. It's driven by character and not action. It's about life - it's not a fantasy - and there's a certain believability to it. But a lot of people don't want to watch a movie about life. They want an escape. I get that. So not everyone will appreciate this - and, as I said, it really took me a couple of days of mulling it over before I really came to fully appreciate it. I will say that after a pretty slow-paced movie, the ending came across to me as rather abrupt and left a lot hanging. After everything that went on, what actually happened to Mike? Perhaps the ending could have been a little bit tighter and been a better example of closure. All things considered, though, this is a very good movie, and a movie that's quite different from the blockbusters that get all the attention. (7/10)

juanmuscle The reason people are like watching paint dry or whathaveyous and yous came in, its because its about the character, the protagonist, nothing about a neighbor , his wife, the bad guy, the good kid , the charismatic dissipated friend, nothing, its about this guy. The reason everything moves so slow is because he is in a stupor and god knows for how long this is why his life is in limbo, the scenes melt into each other because this life occasions this , it affords this type of nebulous haze, it lends to his almost oppressive lassitude , his like a big pall that overcomes its victims then sits there and hatches more of this insipid nothingness erelong everyone is in a state of languor. All these years he has been allowing everything to consume him, he has succumbed to a life in which his life, his plot, everything around him dictates what and when and who he is , it defines him... this is why he cannot answer anyone with a straightforward answer, he really doesn't know anything about himself, his life, other people... only to take care of his basic needs, but not relishing in what is truly delectable to that very thing that makes us want to live, that's our uniqueness , we all have that and the only way to find this is through an introspective journey free from the bonds of the outside world , getting in touch with nature so forth ... he has everything he wants, a great job, a nice son, a wonderful wife, he has just lost his way.... So what happens in the end? Someone else's plot, in effect consumes him.

Angela Thought it was a perfect film to be honest. Slow-paced (my FAVORITE), but there is a lot of subtly in the character that William portrayed. Films like these ones you have to be patient and watch the movie inside of the movie as so to speak. You have to be an open minded when you watch this. If you are just looking for a thriller action packed movie or a plot to kind of just tell the whole theme for you scene by scene, then this is not your film! The mood is very calm in this movie, but it's sad also. Kind of minds me of American Beauty a bit but even more depressive. I loved it!