Sad people living sad lives – yup, it’s a super-cheery movie, alright! o.O

I was disappointed by the lack of… something. The things the characters do to try and find meaning, excitement or just escapism… Someone dies, you can see the “and then I had to change everything” moment coming/not coming. Just… missing a point. Which I think was the point. And then… it all ends. Hmm.

Performances were okay, but Jennifer Aniston just looked too Rachel-ish to be believably married to a stoner slob, and Jake Gyllenhaal was a bit too ott manic. Favourite was actually Zooey Deschanel as the bored shop worker acting out in believably small and petty ways.

Fairly depressing. I do like depressing movies, if only because they make you feel fortunate and give you something to reflect upon. But they should leave you feeling a bit more than this. It’s hard to argue that one may or may not be better off taking a risk so I suppose its good that there’s the occasional film that suggests not taking a chance on life is reward enough. It was well produced and Gyllenhaal does an excellent job although could have been an incarnation of Donnie Darko. Worth seeing but personally I preferred Southern Belles which is not entirely dissimilar yet a fair bit more entertaining.

I rented this movie right after it first came out on dvd and I loved it so much I ran out the very next day to buy a copy of my own.

There’s no real action in it. There are big events, but they’re put forth so matter-of-factly you hardly notice them—which is what I like about it. I love a movie that shows life as it actually is; a bunch of little nothings that bring with them little somethings here and there.

And I’m a sucker for love between troubled types. Love is so vastly imperfect and I respect anything that shows that for exactly what it is.

Justine: “After living in the dark for so long, a glimpse of the light can make you giddy. Strange thoughts come into your head and you better think’em. Has a special fate been calling you and you not listening? Is there a secret message right in front of you and you’re not reading it? Is this your last, best chance? Are you gonna take it? Or are you going to the grave with unlived lives in your veins?”