​FILMS

by the sea

2015 review number 177:

By the Sea: (Drama): 45 out of 100: Throughout movie history there have been many celebrity couples starring in films ranging from Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep to Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut. By the Sea sees Brad Pitt teaming up with his wife, Angelina Jolie (credited here as Angelina Jolie Pitt) for the second time after Mr and Mrs Smith in 2005 but that's where they apparently fell for each other so this is actually their first film as a genuine couple. Written and directed by Jolie Pitt, some critics have stated that this is a vanity project for her. Whatever the case, it comes across as a test of one's patience for there doesn't seem to be much happening except for drinking, smoking, copulating and people-watching. It's not a total waste of time however, with glimpses of dramatic tension but these scenes are few and far between.

 

Roland (Brad Pitt) is a novelist who travels to France with his wife of 14 years, Vanessa (Angelina Jolie Pitt) who was once a dancer. They stay in a hotel in a seaside town so Roland can write his next novel but more importantly, try to reignite the love and passion in their marriage. Roland spends most of his time at the local bar chatting to the owner, Michel (Niels Arestrup), while Vanessa befriends the newly married couple next door, Lea (Mélanie Laurent) and François (Melvil Poupaud) and becomes engrossed in their love- making by peering through a hole in the wall. Could the sexual exploits of the couple next door somehow save the marriage of Roland and Vanessa? 

 

There are numerous scenes that are repeated that make the story rather boring. Examples include Jolie being a voyeur and investigating the sexual routines of the couple next door, Pitt at the bar getting drunk, both Jolie and Pitt people watching and Jolie looking at a man rowing his boat. The leisurely pacing doesn't help either with not much oomph to many of the scenes. When there is dramatic tension between the couple, the acting is excellent but it seems like Pitt and Jolie are on auto-pilot for most of the film. There are some cringeworthy moments including Roland in his clothes having sex with Vanessa in the bathtub and the two taking turns to look through the hole in the wall when the couple next door are having intercourse. How Lea and François cannot spot the hole is beyond me!

 

The supporting characters don't have much depth and you wonder how Roland and Vanessa could be attracted to them. Their inclusion can only be justified as characters who talk with the couple, and in the newlyweds' case, provide the sexual stimulation to reinvigorate the passion in their marriage. One would hope that a character-driven film would have exciting dialogue but that's not the case either. A lot of the conversations are bland and lacking intensity. 

 

Although set in France, the film has been shot in Malta which makes it a fantastic advertisement for that country with the beautiful scenery standing out. It's definitely something to look at when the story becomes tedious. The score by Gabriel Yared is smooth and gentle, providing elegance and grace to the music department.  

 

It's a shame that By the Sea is memorable for all the wrong reasons. Let's hope that if Pitt and Jolie decide to make a third film together that it would be more compelling than this for they are both terrific actors when given the right material. 

 

Starring Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Mélanie Laurent and Melvil Poupaud

(122 minutes)

Parental advice: Coarse langauge, nudity, sex scenes, sexual references and adult themes

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwjN4hCgi-0 (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Tuesday November 24th, 2015)

 

For my latest reviews, go to this link: http://mlaimlai2.wix.com/magical-movie-review