...and that Marianne represented a harmonious, grounded and peaceful influence on Eva (nice home, poet, etc.). But she kept rubbing me the wrong way, like she was judgmental or thought she was better than others. Was there any significance in mentioning that she was friends with Joni Mitchell? Was that her pretensiousness or something else?
shareJust name-dropping, I think. James's character seemed like a salt of the Earth kind of guy, and she was doing subtle bragging.
shareI thought the Joni Mitchell name dropping was one of the best acted parts of the movie. She's pretending to be nonchalant and blasé about it but is totally out to impress, and Catherine Keener pulls it off perfectly. It shows how hard she's been trying to hide the emptiness of her own life.
shareYeah, the fact that at first she seems likable and it's not obvious she may be a bit pretentious is a testament to the writing and acting. People seem to be one thing at first but as you peel away the layers you see more, which is more like real life. It was subtle; the audience was not spoon fed right off the bat how we should feel about her as some movies are.
shareGood point
shareI loved the Joni reference. They are both poets, so it made sense. It was just such an unexpected name. Who wouldn't be proud to know an iconic person like Joni, and to name-drop while brushing it off like it's nothing.
I assume we were supposed to like her at first, and a bit less as the movie went on. And she was famous, in some circles. It's very hard not to let that go to your head. The character and the actor were well-played!
I think we were supposed to like her character. All the main characters are likeable - and all of them have flaws and quirks that could be found unlikeable as well. One of the great things about this movie is that there are no clear-cut heroes and villains. "One man's trash is another man's treasure." That's the underlying theme of the movie.
Eva finds Marianne nice, smart and cool (and she is), and that's why Marianne's negativity about her ex husband makes Eva think twice about seeing Albert. Eventually she comes to realize that Albert simply isn't right for Marianne, but could still be right for her; and she applies the same wisdom to other couples she knows. She wasn't wrong to like Marianne; she was just wrong to mistrust her own feelings about Albert.
Tell me the truth. Are we still in the game?
Well put, Mamabadger56.
shareIt's rare for Catherine Keener to play such an unlikable character, but that only makes me respect her more as an actress. I highly doubt Joni Mitchell would have anything to do with Marianne, and I suspect the poetry was all vanity-published funded by her alimony.
shareKeener often plays twisted or very arrogant characters! And she's great at it I think.
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http://soundcloud.com/dj-snafu-bankrupt-euros
Coz lifes too short to listen to Madlib
I suspect the poetry was all vanity-published funded by her alimony.No -- she was a successful poet who was well-known enough such that strangers recognized her. Vanity-publishing would never get that kind of audience. Plus, it's clear from the grace and beauty and elegance of her life that she's not the kind of person who would vanity-publish -- she would never value anyting unearned. Plus, adult women of this era really don't live on alimoney, 'kay? We're educated and self-sufficient.
Thanks for your thoughts, Helena727. I suspect you are right on the mark.
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