| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Catherine Keener | ... | ||
| Jason Isaacs | ... | ||
| Timm Sharp | ... |
Richard
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| Joan Cusack | ... | ||
| Greg Germann | ... |
Matt
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| Hailey Noelle Johnson | ... |
Tammy
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| Simon McBurney | ... | ||
| Frances McDormand | ... | ||
| Jake Cherry | ... | ||
| Jennifer Aniston | ... | ||
| Bob Stephenson | ... |
Marty
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| Marin Hinkle | ... |
Maya
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| Scott Caan | ... | ||
| Troy Ruptash | ... |
Brad
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| Elizabeth Keener | ... |
Lancome Saleswoman
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Four women friends: three are wealthy and married plus there's Olivia, a former teacher who's now a maid. The marriages are in various states of health: Franny and Matt are happy and very rich. Christine and David write screenplays together, are remodeling their house, and argue. Jane is angry all the time and Aaron, who's an attentive husband, strikes everyone as gay. Franny sets up Olivia with a friend of hers, Mike, a personal trainer, and Olivia takes him with her to a couple of housecleaning jobs. A benefit dinner for ALS, an awkward guy named Marty whose place Olivia cleans, and a French maid's outfit figure in the story. Is there more to life than its problems? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
I watched this again on DVD, having seen it when it first came out in theaters. I ran to see it, and not just because it had three of my favorite actresses in it. In fact, I had some doubts because it had Jennifer Aniston in it, whom I had never been impressed with (not a fan of Friends at all). But this movie changed my mind about her, and I really enjoyed it.
I do tend to like this kind of film, which some people would probably term a "chick movie". I don't think it is, though. I think it's a people movie. But even that's too much for some people, probably the kind of guy who wouldn't sit right next to another guy in a theater because people might think they're gay. And, no, I'm not gay, just emotional and sensitive.
Still, I liked it more than I expected. Sometimes movies can be a little too girl-y for me, but this one was really about ALL the people involved, although the main connections were between the four women who are the leads. All friends, one of them has not done as well financially as the rest, but it's not only on her story that the plot of the movie turns. All four are going through some sort of issue in their lives, and there is some resolution with all of them, not all of equal import. And none of it is complete; there is no easy wrapping up here of any one story line. You do leave wondering what will happen with each of the characters, with the sense that life is going on beyond the final fadeout. I really liked that about the film.
As a not-too-well-off person living not-too-far-away from the affluent area of Los Angeles this is set in, I usually don't feel comfortable watching movies about people who have a lot of money and don't seem aware of the rest of us. These people share the view that they coexist in the world with a lot of other people who are not as well off; they're sensitive to the dilemmas of others, and are grateful that they (so far) are leading privileged lives. Even the most wealthy of them is a real human being, has issues, is far from perfect. This is a real-life view of Los Angeles people who are living real lives. I highly recommend it to anyone who themselves has a real life.