The Wife (1995)

Tom Noonan's dark comedy features a husband-and-wife team of psychotherapists who run a New-Age therapy group out in the wilderness. Late one night, Jack and Rita are visited by one of ... See full summary »

Director:

Tom Noonan

Writer:

Tom Noonan (screenplay)

Stars:

Julie Hagerty, Tom Noonan, Wallace Shawn

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Julie Hagerty	...	Rita
Tom Noonan	...	Jack
Wallace Shawn	...	Cosmo
Karen Young	...	Arlie

Storyline

Tom Noonan's dark comedy features a husband-and-wife team of psychotherapists who run a New-Age therapy group out in the wilderness. Late one night, Jack and Rita are visited by one of their patients, Cosmo, and his wife, Arlie. Cosmo's wife has felt "left out," since her husband spends so much time with the therapists and confides all of their secrets to them. Arlie has insisted on meeting them--the evening begins awkwardly, then painfully grinds on, as various tensions and power struggles emerge between and among the two couples.

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Plot Keywords:

dialogue driven | female nudity | based on play | independent film

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Tom Noonan

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Vaimo

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Cosmo: This is not going well.
Jack: Ah, it's going where it's going.

User Reviews

Made me squirm in a good sort of a way

This is the type of movie that is not for everyone. In fact, most people would not like it at all. It is over an hour and a half of talking heads. Yes, the dreaded "stage play on film" which critics seems to hate. For me, it was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time and makes mytop ten list. It has been compared to "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" but I think that does not do it justice. Yes, the movie is about two couples and there is a lot of angst however in Woolf the maliciousness is obvious, loud and in your face. In Wife, the angst is subtle, quiet and cerebral. Tom Noonan is so brilliant and it is a crying shame that he does not have more work out there for us to enjoy. Does he need money or what? Every week another heist movie or mafia movie hits the big screen but jewels like this are on the verge of extinction. If you like Wife, be sure and check out Noonan's "What Happened Was...".