A wonderful relationship drama that is worth seeing thanks to the brilliant performances. The entire cast is at the top of their game and deliver memorable turns across the board. Pierce Brosnan exudes charisma, but also gives his character a lot of depth and avoids making him one-dimensional. Chris Cooper is phenomenal and delivers the best male performance of the year so far. Patricia Clarkson is great as the seemingly innocent wife with a few secrets of her own. And finally, Rachel McAdams steals every scene in her triumphant return to the screen. She is charming and lovable, easily the most "innocent" of the other characters - and her character feels incredibly believable throughout. The direction is great, the screenplay is fast-paced and surprising, and ultimately this film ends on a satisfying and realistic note. I highly recommend it. B+/A-

I read a blurb that described this movie as a cross between Douglas Sirk and Alfred Hitchcock, though I think that Hitchcock had plenty of the Sirk in him back in 1949.

Married Life starts out being all about death, but in the end really does turn out to be about married life. It was a very enjoyable ride from a storytelling POV - - thrills, surprises, and emotional turnarounds await the intrepid viewer! It really is quite a true telling of the endgame of marriage.

As a Rachel McAdams fanboy, I was disappointed to see her relegated to a supporting role here - - I can't wait for her next leading vixen. Same goes for Pierce Brosnan - - go, Pierce, go - - bring on the Vanilla Gorilla!

But fortunately Chris Cooper is, as always, a fantastic lead and is most ably supported by Patricia Clarkson (who hasn't had this good a chance to shine since Dogville).

Very nicely done.

8 out of 5.

I really don't have much to say about Married Life. Despite many negative reviews, I was still expecting a good film. Not to say it's a bad one, but it's far from good and the only reason it's worth seeing is for it's performances. The screenplay was dry and wooden, and made every single character unlikeable. This is the film's biggest fault by far. It needed a rewrite (or two) and it could have been a great movie. Chris Cooper is great here, unsurprisingly. His character is incredibly unrealistic but his performance is great. Pierce Brosnan is also very good and Patricia Clarkson is great, as usual. Rachel McAdams was great, though incredibly underused. She should have picked a much better film to return to the screen because this just wasn't it. I also didn't like the way it ended at all. Anyway, it may sound like I hated it, I really didn't. It was alright. Nothing I'd ever see again but it's definitely worth it for the performances.

7/10 ( B )

I was really disappointed. I expected much more.

6/10 (C+)