Indie Gems: Love is Strange

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How fitting is it that my 1000th blog post is an Indie Gem. :)

Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) have been a couple for nearly 40 years. Once they decide to married, George looks his job teaching at a Catholic school because of it. No longer able to afford their apartment, they are forced to live separately until they find a new one since none of their friends can take them both. George lives with his neighbors (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez), who party way too much, and Ben stays with his nephew's family (Darren E. Borrows, Marisa Tomei, and Charlie Tahan) who let's face it, are all a bunch of chodes. 

Lithgow and Molina are really wonderful here. They carry the film and their chemistry is everything. They're honestly the only two likable characters, even when they aren't without their flaws. The rest of the cast is great too, but it's hard to compare them with the leads.

The film has good pacing and the story is interesting, though two things bothered me a little. There's a subplot involving Joey (Tahan) and his friend stealing French books, but they never tell us why. And because I'm such a wuss, I wish the film had ended about 10 minutes sooner so I didn't have to know the actual ending. That made me sad.

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "To the motherfuckers." - George (Alfred Molina)

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2015 at 7:41 AM

    Happy 1,000th post!

    I really liked this movie, even more as it sat with me. That ending is tragic, but played out so well...that lingering stairwell moment crushed me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 20, 2015 at 2:43 PM

      I wish I would've gotten a happy ending for such a lovely story. But that never works.

      Delete
  2. UnknownFebruary 20, 2015 at 8:25 AM

    Wow, 1000 Indie Gems! Congrats.

    Great review. Yes, that last scene was tough. But that final moment on the stairwell spoke volumes about Joey's maturation and Ben's and George's importance in his life.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 20, 2015 at 2:44 PM

      1000 posts total, but I've been doing Indie Gems weekly for years so those are adding up! For sure, the stairwell moment is easily one of the most memorable.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2015 at 9:59 AM

    My dad actually suggested that we watch this movie b/c it got such great reviews on Rottentomatoes... he usually gets awkward about scenes of gay intimacy makes cracks about them, but he was blessedly quiet this time (although he is not homophobic, he is just like a big oversized 12-year-old boy and doesn't mean any harm.)

    At the end we were all quiet a moment and agreed yes, it was a very good movie. I really like Alfred Molina; I'm less familiar with John Lithgow. I thought that "Love is Strange" dealt a lot with ageism as well as homophobia and touched on how elderly family are treated like stray, unwanted Labradors off of the street. Old people came from a different generation, have their own foibles, and frankly are not usually any easier to live with than teens.

    I agree about Joey and the French books. Weird!

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    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 20, 2015 at 2:45 PM

      Thanks for commenting! That's definitely true about older couples. I thought the leads here had tremendous chemistry.

      Delete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 20, 2015 at 11:04 AM

    1000 is a big number... I can't imagine hitting it myself though I'm close to 700 in 5 years.. long way to go and knowing that, I applaud your 1000th post because oh wow!

    PS: I love your Indie Gems.. I get my best finds from here. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 20, 2015 at 2:46 PM

      Thank you :) that means a lot. I'm kind of shocked to see 1000 myself and I've also been going at this for 5 years.

      Delete
  5. Big Screen Small WordsFebruary 20, 2015 at 7:31 PM

    Congratulations on your 1000th post!

    I've been meaning to watch Love is Strange, now I'm curious how it actually ends. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. thevoid99February 20, 2015 at 9:53 PM

    Congrats on a 1000. It's a true milestone. I've lost track on how many posts I've made over the years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamFebruary 22, 2015 at 11:18 PM

      The only reason I know is because Blogger keeps track of them for me. lol

      Delete
  7. JoshApril 3, 2015 at 1:43 PM

    Yeah, the cast made this film a delight to watch. Congrats on 1000 posts!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Visit my site for Ipe Decking informationSeptember 2, 2015 at 1:40 AM

    There's lots of charm, from the looks Ben and George give one another, to the easiness of their shared company.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Info site for Seattle Water Main RepairJanuary 28, 2016 at 7:55 AM

    So well acted and written, with Oscar-worthy performances by the superb John Lithgow and Alfred Molina. A deeply emotional journey.

    ReplyDelete

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