Comments on: The Best view | Two Lovers – Joaquin Phoenix’s last film role is a mystery http://blogs.whatsontv.co.uk/movietalk/2009/08/17/the-best-view-two-lovers-joaquin-phoenixs-last-film-role-is-a-mystery/ The good, the bad and the ugly on screen Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:52:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Jason Best http://blogs.whatsontv.co.uk/movietalk/2009/08/17/the-best-view-two-lovers-joaquin-phoenixs-last-film-role-is-a-mystery/#comment-541 Jason Best Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:38:14 +0000 http://whatsontv.co.uk/blogs/movietalk/2009/08/17/the-best-view-two-lovers-joaquin-phoenixs-last-film-role-is-a-mystery/#comment-541 True, damaged people often seek out other damaged people as soul mates. But I still feel that for the film to work fully the viewer – and not just Leonard - needs to feel torn between Michelle and Sandra. We too need to feel drawn to Paltrow’s Michelle, to be at least partly seduced by her dangerous glamour, and I felt we didn’t get that from her character: simply put, Michelle was more irritating than charismatic. As for the Jewishness of the characters, yes, the fact that Michelle is a blonde shiksa is part of her attraction for Leonard, but Gray blurs this by casting the Jewish Paltrow in the role. True, damaged people often seek out other damaged people as soul mates. But I still feel that for the film to work fully the viewer – and not just Leonard – needs to feel torn between Michelle and Sandra. We too need to feel drawn to Paltrow’s Michelle, to be at least partly seduced by her dangerous glamour, and I felt we didn’t get that from her character: simply put, Michelle was more irritating than charismatic.

As for the Jewishness of the characters, yes, the fact that Michelle is a blonde shiksa is part of her attraction for Leonard, but Gray blurs this by casting the Jewish Paltrow in the role.

]]> By: Beth http://blogs.whatsontv.co.uk/movietalk/2009/08/17/the-best-view-two-lovers-joaquin-phoenixs-last-film-role-is-a-mystery/#comment-540 Beth Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:51:27 +0000 http://whatsontv.co.uk/blogs/movietalk/2009/08/17/the-best-view-two-lovers-joaquin-phoenixs-last-film-role-is-a-mystery/#comment-540 I think this film’s casting is spot-on personally. Surely the question of how Leonard could prefer “irritating neurotic” Michelle over the grounded (and Jewish) Sandra, is the whole point of the story, isn’t it? Leonard is a depressed newly single Jewish man who’s been forced to move back in with his parents and is therefore subjected to their well-meaning, but extremely controlling, influence. His Jewish identity (which you haven’t mentioned) is key to this as it defines him at a time when he clearly needs to explore and define himself. His pursuit of the non-Jewish neurotic Michelle is therefore his way of exploring his own neurosis. I think this film’s casting is spot-on personally. Surely the question of how Leonard could prefer “irritating neurotic” Michelle over the grounded (and Jewish) Sandra, is the whole point of the story, isn’t it?

Leonard is a depressed newly single Jewish man who’s been forced to move back in with his parents and is therefore subjected to their well-meaning, but extremely controlling, influence. His Jewish identity (which you haven’t mentioned) is key to this as it defines him at a time when he clearly needs to explore and define himself. His pursuit of the non-Jewish neurotic Michelle is therefore his way of exploring his own neurosis.

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