Husbands and Wives | | Cast : | Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Judy Davis, Sydney Pollack | | Director : | Woody Allen | | Studio : | Columbia Tristar Hom | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | September 18, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | April 16, 2002 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | February 20, 2005 | | Summary | Woody's Masterpiece. | Content
 | I have been a major Woody Allen fanatic since I was 10 years old, but only now, after my third viewing of "Husbands and Wives" did I fully comprehend the importance of this film within his oeuvre. It's home movie feel and documentary style provide subtle integrity for its frames. The acting and the characterization are superb. This may be the best cast he ever assembled with producer, and non-actor, Sydney Pollack even putting forth a remarkable performance. The audience will care about all of the players and wonder exactly what will happen in the end.
Allen denied repeatedly that "Husbands and Wives" was autobiographical but it would be impossible for it not to have been given the events of his life. Here we see him play a writer who, just like Allen, is cherished by fans for his "funnier early works." One wonders whether his affair with Soon-Yi had begun at the time of its production and what exactly his interactions with Farrow were like.
Allen was clearly working through many of his own personal dilemmas and that is exactly why the film is so authentic and believable. It will touch in some way most who see it as sometimes life really does imitate art. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 18, 2005 | | Summary | Relationships and What Happens to Them... | Content
| It was ironic (or perhaps not) that Woody Allen and Mia Farrow were in the midst of a terrible breakup when this film came out. I only saw it recently, and it's one of those films that technically would never fly, unless Allen was behind it.
I enjoyed the partial-documentary sequences where the characters discuss their marriages, breakups, etc., and dark comedy that surrounds it all.
Sydney Pollack and Judy Davis are that old married couple you think would stay together forever, but they're breaking up. Woody finds himself strangely drawn to one of his writing students (Juliette Lewis makes the film!), who seems to get every man she meets on a string without even trying, Mia hooks up with Liam Neeson...there's a certain shallowness protrayed when it comes to people, and that really hit me.
Perhaps as I was going through my own marriage breakup at the time I saw this awhile back, it struck chords with me I didn't think it would. In any case, this is not a madcap Woody film. It's a sometimes harsh examination of how people deal with each other, and don't always realize what they've got.
You need to be in the right mood for this one, but it's worth the time. |
| Rating | | | Date | November 14, 2004 | | Summary | A Challenging and Difficult Film | Content
| Woody Allen displays his more serious and darker take on relationships in this very mature look at marriage and mid-life crisis. The movie is painfully realistic and is presented as a docu-drama that allows the viewer to evesdrop on the characters most intimate conversations. The actors are all superb. I found Sydney Pollack's performance as a husband who uses a trial separation from his wife (Judy Davis) as a pretext to pursue an affair with a younger woman and then has a change of heart as his eyes gradually open to the absurdity of what he's done , particularly strong. His actions initiate a chain of events that results in Allen and Mia Farrow's characters questioning their own relationship which results in turmoil in their lives as well.
There are scenes that are so well written and acted that they are riveting. We watch these somehow familiar circumstances because we recognise these characters as people we know.
This is a very serious film with very few true comedic moments so if you're seeking a few yucks look elsewhere. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 09, 2004 | | Summary | Wince and Love It | Content
| Never has a movie about relationships hit so many nerves on so many levels. It takes guts to view this film with an open mind. I takes familiarity with relational boredom and heartache to understand it completely. Woody Allen delves into the minds and dysfunctional lives of two and then four couples with the deftness of a ninja in "Husbands and Wives." Rarely have I seen such candor in depiction of the seven year itch. It is a place in time that will be familiar to many couples given the opportunity for honesty and will likely create interesting if not brutal debate in the most secure of unions. The hand held camera used in many of the scenes are not for those prone to motion sickness. Nonetheless, it creates an intimacy and urgency that grant the film credence at its most passionate moments. Each of the characters is someone that the viewer probably knows in situations that they would never discuss, leaving him both baffled and sympathetic. I highly recommend the film to those viewers able to be honest enough and possibly brave enough to face their most intimate relational demons. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 21, 2003 | | Summary | ONE OF HIS BEST AND MOST BITTER | Content
| This is probably the best of Woody's "bitter" movies (DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS) wherein Allen continued to explore relationships with humor, but with far less of the optimistic, hopeful nature he shows in classics such as HANNAH AND HER SISTERS. HUSBANDS AND WIVES is crisply written and extremely well performed. Everyone is terrific, but Judy Davis and Sydney Pollack truly shine. They are married, but he dumps her for a very young woman. Davis finds herself on the dating scene again, but even as she goes on her first date, she is dealing angrily with her estranged husband. Mia Farrow and Allen are another disfunctional ex-couple. Throw into the mix nice, single man Liam Neeson, whom both women lust and fight over, and you've got a nice stew of relationships. The movie is VERY funny, but is tinged with bitterness throughout. Occasionally, the movie is presented as a sort of documentary, where the main characters are answering questions directly into the camera, but this device is a bit of distraction. It's a minor thing, though. Truly, the script is sizzling, but it is the performances that make this movie unforgettable. Judy Davis was nominated for an Oscar, but Farrow is very good as well, and it is a hoot to see Neeson in such an early role. Pollack could have been nominated as well, and Allen gives what is probably his last great performance (possibly excepting DECONSTRUCTING HARRY). Allen fans must see this film. It's one of his most important. If you're not an Allen fan, I suggest starting with a "kinder, gentler" film such as ANNIE HALL or MANHATTAN or HANNAH... before taking on this one |
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