Private Life (2018)

I've been meaning to watch Private Life since it released as I love Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti but I kept putting it off because of the plot. Now that I'm finally working on my best and worst of 2018 post, I figured it was time for me to check this out. 

The story follows Richard (Paul Giamatti) and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn), a couple in their forties who are desperately trying to have a kid by any means possible. Just when they think they are out of options, a new opportunity presents itself, to use an egg donor. While Richard is fine with it, Rachel struggles with the idea of using some stranger's eggs but when Sadie (Kayli Carter), the stepdaughter of Richard's brother, Charlie (John Carroll Lynch), drops out of college and stays with them in New York, they decide to ask her.

Private Life does a really good job at portraying the commitment, stress, energy and money involved in the IVF process. Director and writer Tamara Jenkins has clearly done her homework —she went through this herself, if I'm not wrong— and it shows as the film is very informative and eye-opening about the subject. The film also shows how far people are willing to go to have children of their "own" not matter the consequences, and I'm not talking about only the egg donor thing, but the ending as well —which, apparently, didn't resonate with many people.

Unfortunately, the story isn't as compelling and engaging as it should have been, it's not always consistent, it's often redundant and it doesn't always make a lot of sense. In addition, the pacing is so slow, the two hours feel like a lot more.

Despite this, the characters, Richard and Rachel, feel like real human beings and for this reason you feel for them and you end up hoping their dream will come true. They are unlikeable characters and yet they are likeable. The credits for this entirely go to the actors as Giamatti and Hahn share incredible chemistry, which makes them very believable in the role of the struggling couple, and they both delivers the characters' fears, doubts and sorrows very well. Kayli Carter does a nice job too as Sadie. John Carroll Lynch also provides good support; Molly Shannon, on the other hand, is so cringy in the role of Sadie's mother and the character changes all of a sudden.

Netflix

Another issue I had with Private Life is the humour. While occasionally it was kind of funny, overall the comedy was pretty bland. Ultimately, the film provides a realistic and natural insight into the life of fertility junks, and the central performances are great, but it just feels like a tedious miss.

Fargo (1996)

I'm working on something —you'll see what it is next month— which requires me to rewatch many films I haven't seen in ages because watching a new film every day doesn't leave a lot of room for rewatches, and the Coen Brothers Fargo was the first on the list that I was yet to review. 

The story follows Jerry Lundegaard (William H. Macy), a sales manager at a car dealership who needs his father-in-law's (Harve Presnell) money to get out of his financial troubles. He comes up with a plan to hire someone to kidnap his wife (Kristin Rudrüd) and demand ransom from her wealthy father, but things don't go according to plan, soon three people are dead and police chief Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) starts investigating.

If you have never seen Fargo —I have absolutely no idea what you're doing with your life if you haven't though—, there essentially are two stories, one about the kidnap, one about the murder investigation. Two simple, straightforward and yet compelling and clever stories that eventually meet to make one of the best crime stories ever written as everything happens for a reason and the final outcome is the product of a working mind, not a series of lucky guesses nor the "good guys always win" cliché.

The characters too are wonderfully written. They are original, memorable characters; there's something likeable about each one of them, Jerry being the only exception, and you care about them, even about the kidnappers. Most of all, they are complex, well-rounded characters.

Jerry is a fool who can't handle anything, specifically responsibility, and he's probably the worst criminal cinema has ever seen. He is a compulsive liar, someone so greedy who is willing to have his wife kidnapped to extort money from his rich father-in-law, someone who doesn't think twice before abandoning his son to save his own life. He is an ignorant, vile man with no moral compass. And William H. Macy is perfect as the pathetic car salesman.

Gramercy Pictures

Marge is easily the best character as well as one of the greatest characters in film history. She is a fleshed-out human being with emotions and a truly golden heart. She is so sweet, likeable and optimistic. She is a smart, strong woman who proves you can have it all, that you can be a woman and still have a professional life as well as a personal life, and the relationship with her loving, supportive husband —according to the backstory McDormand and Lynch created, they met in the police force and when they got married and had to chose which one had to quit, Marge stayed because she was the better officer, as opposed to her quitting because she is the wife— is one of the most heartwarming in cinema. There's a subplot at some point involving a high school classmate; some people will argue that it's utterly pointless and adds nothing to the film, but it's not true as it further develops Marge as it shows that she cares about everyone, even about people she barely knows. Frances McDormand rightfully won an Oscar as she gives a charming, sensational performance as the pregnant police chief, able to capture the strength and good manners as well as the naïveté of small town folks.

The supporting cast is also a delight. Steve Buscemi is fantastic as Carl Showalter, a fast-talking criminal, and steals every scene he is in. Peter Stormare is brilliant as Gaear Grimsrud, the quiet, dumb-looking criminal. Harve Presnell gives a memorable performance as Jerry's cruel and determined father-in-law. John Carroll Lynch is perfect as Marge's great husband, Norm.

In addition, Fargo is filled with quirky dialogue, dark humour just when needed to lighten up a bit the tone of the film, and laugh-out-loud hilarious one-liners. Roger Deakins's cinematography is superb, and the score is beautifully haunting.