Ben (John Lithgow) is talking to his recently wedded husband, George (Alfred Molina), on the phone. They've been together for 39 years, but just got married because of New York's new gay marriage laws. Due to an unfortunate financial situation, the two have to live in separate spaces; Ben is staying with his nephew and his family, while George is staying with two gay cops who party too much. At the dawn of their marriage and the twilight of their lives, they miss each other more than ever. Some of their yearning is caused by the fact that neither place is suitable for them. "When you live with people, you know them better than you care to," says Ben, as their relationships with their hosts start to thin.
Love is Strange is inspired by a true story of a gay teacher being fired after marrying his lifelong partner. It seems that the creators don't intend to make the film didactic, as the issue of George getting fired from a catholic high school, doesn't last for too many scenes. Instead, the story is about relationships, and how the chain reaction of George getting fired affects everyone they know. The scene described above, and particularly that line stated by Ben, showcases these intentions.
I see this as a problem, because it doesn't seem like there is much focus in the film. As we get to the end of the film, I found myself thinking that the journey we went through with Ben and George was at times fruitless. There was no real call for social justice beside one scene where George is reading a letter he wrote to the parents of the teenagers he taught. The film is only an hour and a half, so I feel like there could have been a couple of more scene to flesh out issues of anger and frustration, particularly since everyone knew at the school that George was gay, it was just the action of getting married that got George fired.
The film isn't gutsy enough about it's message, too. It says nothing strange about love. The title reminded me of Crazy, Stupid, Love: it was too heavy on the stupid and light on the crazy. I was waiting for the strange, but it never showed up. The film is just
That is not to say that Molina and Lithgow aren't completely adorable together. They seem like the most random actors to play a couple (I was actually explaining this plot to someone, and they couldn't wrap their mind around the fact that these two were gay lovers.) They will probably go do as my favorite couple of the year. There is such a relaxed tenderness between them where is feels like it has aged like fine wine. They know everything about each other, but act like they're having their one year anniversary, but it's not in a repugnant way. They're the one couple that you know that you're completely jealous of. This makes the film more bitter sweet; they don't have that many scenes together, but when they do, it's bewitching.
George and Ben isn't the only relationship seen in the film. Ben's nephew Elliot (Darren Burrows) is going through a rough patch with his wife Kate (played by Marisa Tomei, who I think has found a career playing a frazzled, modern mother.) This tension is caused by Elliot spending late nights at work, and Kate is at home with writers block. Also, Kate and Ben's socially awkward son Joey (Charlie Tahan) is developing a obsessive friendship with his friend, Vlad (Eric Tabach). This already fragile family dynamic is disrupted when Ben moves in. He shares his room with Joey and spends his days with Kate, causing little writing to be done. A lot of the movie is spent on the exchanges between Ben, Joey, and Kate, and it makes some less than interesting turns. There's a subplot about stolen, French poetry books that is puzzling and inconsequential. There too much emphasis on the melodrama, especially since the Ben and George characters seem much more interesting then their supporting personalities.
What's sad is that the film starts off as a simple, sweet depiction of an aging gay couple. In the end, co-writer and director Ira Sachs presented this gay couple as every other mainstream depiction of a gay couple. The film's sometimes harsh treatment of the characters are brightened when the idea's shine through. There is power to devotion and promise, particularly during times of tribulation. Love is Strange wasn't a picture perfect portrait, but the sometimes funny, sometimes trivial, sometimes romantic movie does have some charming brush strokes.
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