Golden Exits

I wanted so badly to like this. The cast... My goodness. Emily Browning, Mary Louise Parker, Lily Rabe, Chloë Sevigny, Ad-rock, Schwartzman. Come on. What a lineup. But even they couldn't save this movie. All I saw were a bunch of unhappy women wondering about their husband's attention to them and if said husbands were cheating.... or unhappy women wishing they had men, as they are just sooo unhappy being alone. As a bonus, you also get to watch unhappy men seeking validation and attention that apparently their successful and beautiful wives can't provide. All this displayed through boring and unrealistic dialog and actions. You're going to line up a cast of badass women and then place them in these surface level roles? Really? An absolute waste. This movie wanted to be profound and intertwined but missed both of those goals by a mile. It really is a shame.

This was like watching Anthony Weiner on probation while his wife packs his lunchbox for work at a girls school.

If you don't like character- and dialogue-driven films, skip this one. I found it interesting. To me, it's about people in search of love and understanding...mostly of themselves. And unfortunately, they all suck at both. If there were some appreciable growth by at least one of these hapless humans, it would've helped. One of the characters had just a tiny bit of an arc. That said, I can see why the filmmaker did what she did here. Golden Exits is a bit dark and many will find it equally depressing (if you're not taking what I'd call a very objective and observational approach to it), but I think the key point here is *so is life at times.* This film serves as a stark reminder that there is so much more for us than living in perpetual angst and unhappiness - a state in which most if not all of these characters seem to excel.

This film tells the story of a man with a history of infidelity, who hires a young woman as an assistant. The dynamics at home changes dramatically. I'm not sure why the film is titled as such, as the title does not seem to be connected to the story. However, that does not stop me from finding the story engaging. It portrays complex human emotions well. It has many recognisable faces as well.

Part way through, w/out even knowing, I thought this script had to come out of N.Y. (and/or environs) based on personages in that area being obsessed w/dysfunctional relationships (must be the water). That and their other obsession which is rom-coms. Still another scripted older male w/young attractive "assisting" student/worker female unknowingly creating discord within a family. Inane dialogue. So over-acted it was distracting (especially the excessively expressive not-so-nuanced facial contortions). Further, to make the film have a heartbeat higher than near death they added some moronic piano key notes (as if tapping w/one hand). Ughhh!!

At times almost theatrical in dialogue/monologue, whilst in others, the encounters are real enough to make you feel like a voyeur in a conversation that's either awkward or personal.

Even though the film is slow and some of the characters are one-dimensional clichés, I was still quite touched by it. Mostly because the dialogues are well written and the acting is top-notch. Good photography and soundtrack also helps.

The bitterness is the basic gift to viewer of this film. A film builded in its circle of talks and fears and gossips and analysis and walls of protection. Good premises, interesting cast but , in a moment, all becomes blocked in a circular movement. You do not feel the characters and the characters itself are more talkative statues. But, with some patience, easy to define it as a decent film.First, for the premises - a young Australian changing the life of few people and reveling, for her presence, delicate truths.

The film was shot in 15 days. It felt like it took that long to watch it. The character development had potential, but it was a paradise lost. The New York setting could have been utilyzed to it's benefit, but it was nowhere to be found. I kept hanging on for some plot development. It went down like a leak in an ignored tire... very slowly. I've rated movies this poorly due to gratuitous sex. That would have improved this loser.