The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)

After her much older husband forces a move to a suburban retirement community, Pippa Lee engages in a period of reflection and finds herself heading toward a quiet nervous breakdown.

Director:

Rebecca Miller

Writers:

Rebecca Miller (screenplay), Rebecca Miller (book)

Stars:

Robin Wright, Mike Binder, Alan Arkin

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robin Wright	...	Pippa Lee (as Robin Wright Penn)
Mike Binder	...	Sam Shapiro
Alan Arkin	...	Herb Lee
Winona Ryder	...	Sandra Dulles
Ryan McDonald	...	Ben Lee
Cornel West	...	Don Sexton
Maria Bello	...	Suky Sarkissian
Arnie Burton	...	Doctor
Tim Guinee	...	Des Sarkissian
Drew Beasley	...	Chester Sarkissian - Age 6
Madeline McNulty	...	Young Pippa - Age 7
Beckett Melville	...	Chester Sarkissian - Age 13
Zoe Kazan	...	Grace Lee
Billy Wheelan	...	Waiter
Shirley Knight	...	Dot Nadeau

Storyline

Pippa Lee feels dislocated when she and her husband Herb move from Manhattan to a retirement community. He's older than she, they have two children who are young adults, and the daughter hardly speaks to Pippa. Pippa tells us about her life, in long flashbacks, starting with her birth to a mom who was a social dynamo and addicted to pills. As a teen, Pippa moves out and lives a hippie life until meeting Herb, who was then married to a young siren. Pippa discloses tragedies and discoveries. In the present, she's sleepwalking at night and talking from time to time with a burned-out case, the 35-year-old son of a neighbor. Can Pippa connect?

---

Plot Keywords:

retirement | neighbor | publisher | pills | 35 year old | 

---

Taglines:

She lived many lives - except her own

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, brief nudity, some drug material and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 2009 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

A Vida Íntima de Pippa Lee

Filming Locations:

Connecticut, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£44,511 (UK) (10 July 2009)

Gross:

£108,160 (UK) (17 July 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Grand Army Entertainment, IM Global, Lumina Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min 93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julianne Moore only spent 2 days filming her role.

---

Quotes

Sam Shapiro: [beginning of film: toasting Herb at dinner party] I have known Pippa Lee for 25 years and I think that I will really ever know her. She is a mystery... an enigma... giving, caring, beautiful, intelligent... the very icon of an artist's wife.

---

Soundtracks

"Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald"
Written by Johann Strauss,Jr.,Adapted by Holger Petersen
Performed by Kapellele Kellner
Courtesy of Aabaa Records, Hamburg

User Reviews

The best type of adult film

This will be regarded as 'a woman's movie' since it is written and directed by a woman (Rebecca Miller) and its central character (Robin Wright Penn) and most of the support roles (Julianne Moore, Winona Ryder, Blake Lively, Mario Bello, Monica Bellucci) are women too. But the male roles (Alan Arkin and Keanu Reeves) contribute to a stellar cast and the themes of self-discovery and self-expression are universal. If Pippa is angst-ridden, it's because she's had a traumatic life and the movie reveals a series of dramatic incidents, while concluding on a hopeful note. With not a car chase or a special effect in sight, this is an adult film in the proper sense of the word and as such well-worth viewing.