"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library" - Jorge Luis Borges

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Watching: THE WIFE

Year: 2017
Rated: R
Director: Bjorn L. Runge
Glenn Close turns in another Oscar-worthy performance as Joan Castleman, a devoted wife and mother who years ago set aside her own writing career to raise a family and support the career of her husband, fellow writer Joe (Jonathan Pryce). It all seems to have paid off, too, as the film opens with the Castlemans learning that Joe has won the Nobel Prize for literature - but in the middle of all the interviews and hype and preparations for the trip to Stockholm, little cracks and fissures begin to show in the couple's relationship, with each other as well as with their children, including Joan beginning to maybe wonder about some of the choices she's made. Even knowing the Big Reveal of the film before seeing it, The Good Wife is a solid drama elevated to greatness whenever Glenn Close is on the screen (which is nearly every scene). So many times you can see the emotions going through Joan's face as events play on around her; even with no dialogue, you know what she's feeling and thinking, can tell when her boiling point is close or when she's barely able to keep her mouth shut. Olivia Colman may have had a showier, more complex role in The Favourite, but after so many nominations in past years Glenn Close really deserved that Oscar for this performance, as well. 8.5/10 stars

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