Box Office Review - Blue Valentine

Early in the film Ryan Gosling's character Dean makes the statement that men are more romantic than women. This is not a universal statement, but it does turn out to be the case for the marriage that Dean ends up in. Blue Valentine begins a few years after the marriage of Dean and Cindy (Michelle Williams) and it is obvious from the beginning that they have problems. This becomes more evident once the film starts showing the relationship that Dean and Cindy had prior to their marriage. The film jumps expertly between their present day married life and the courtship. Both Gosling and Williams handle playing the old and younger versions of their characters effortlessly and their performances are painfully realistic.

Dean is working for a moving company when he first meats Cindy. They couldn't be more different from each other. Dean is coasting through life with romantic visions of how things will end up, but without much drive or ambition. Cindy has/had a jerk boyfriend and is determined to to become a doctor. When shes not in school she is taking care of her grandmother and dealing with her dysfunctional parents. Dean believes in love at first sight and Cindy is looking for relief and escape from her present situation. Through coincidence they end up spending a night together on the streets of New York City which leads to a whirlwind romance and marriage. Their early relationship isn't perfect though as prior to their marriage there is a reveal (I won't spoil it) that test their relationship, and makes Dean look like a hero.

This is where my problems with the movie start. Throughout the movie Dean comes off as being a good father and at least trying to be a good husband. Cindy on the other hand comes off as being selfish and unwilling to to even try at their relationship. Yes Dean is an alcoholic and the catalyst during the “future room” scene, but in my eyes the film seems to portray Cindy as the one with the most problems in the relationship. I think a few more scenes of her being a good mother would have made her character more sympathetic.

Blue Valentine is not a film I would ever need to see again. It is very realistic, depressing and not a place I enjoy going. The only thing that could compel me in the future to watch this again would be the memory of the great performances given by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

A Good Banana