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Blue Valentine

  • 2010
  • R
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
219K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,448
120
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010)
A look at the idyllic past and troubled present of working-class couple Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams).
Play trailer1:52
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Psychological DramaTragic RomanceDramaRomance

The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.

  • Director
    • Derek Cianfrance
  • Writers
    • Derek Cianfrance
    • Joey Curtis
    • Cami Delavigne
  • Stars
    • Ryan Gosling
    • Michelle Williams
    • John Doman
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    219K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,448
    120
    • Director
      • Derek Cianfrance
    • Writers
      • Derek Cianfrance
      • Joey Curtis
      • Cami Delavigne
    • Stars
      • Ryan Gosling
      • Michelle Williams
      • John Doman
    • 436User reviews
    • 358Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 56 nominations total

    Videos2

    Blue Valentine
    Trailer 1:52
    Blue Valentine
    Clip
    Clip 1:39
    Clip
    Clip
    Clip 1:39
    Clip

    Photos362

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    Top cast34

    Edit
    Ryan Gosling
    Ryan Gosling
    • Dean
    Michelle Williams
    Michelle Williams
    • Cindy
    John Doman
    John Doman
    • Jerry
    Faith Wladyka
    Faith Wladyka
    • Frankie
    Mike Vogel
    Mike Vogel
    • Bobby
    Marshall Johnson
    • Marshall
    Jen Jones
    • Gramma
    Maryann Plunkett
    Maryann Plunkett
    • Glenda
    James Benatti
    • Jamie
    Barbara Troy
    • Jo
    Carey Westbrook
    • Charley
    Ben Shenkman
    Ben Shenkman
    • Dr. Feinberg
    Eileen Rosen
    Eileen Rosen
    • Mimi
    Enid Graham
    Enid Graham
    • Professor
    Ashley Gurnari
    • Checker
    Jack Parshutich
    • Billy
    Samii Ryan
    • Amanda
    Mark Benginia
    • Concierge
    • Director
      • Derek Cianfrance
    • Writers
      • Derek Cianfrance
      • Joey Curtis
      • Cami Delavigne
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews436

    7.3218.7K
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    Featured reviews

    7ferguson-6

    A Slow Dissolve

    Greetings again from the darkness. OK, so I was extremely surprised to be the only male in a theater with 30 plus viewers. I had not once previously thought of this as a chick flick. In fact, it is quite a weighty relationship expose' and that explains the lack of present men. What is surprising is that while the film is about the ever-so-slow crumbling of a marriage, there is no blame placed at the feet of any one person, as is so often the case in Hollywood.

    You might have already guessed that this is no upbeat, loosie-goosie rom-com. Rather, it is a bleak look at a marriage that starts with good intentions and fades into misery. On the plus, we witness an acting clinic by two of today's absolute best ... Ryan Gosling as Dean and Michelle Williams as Cindy. Dean is quite the oddball romantic as he strums his ukulele and quivers "You Always Hurt the Ones You Love" in a bit of foreshadowing. Cindy, on the other hand, is a bit more ambitious and has dreams of medical school.

    The two meet by happenstance in the hallway of a nursing home when Cindy is visiting her grandmother. Immediately, there are sparks and after Cindy's macho boyfriend proves his true rotten self to her, she becomes more enamored with Dean. When an unexpected pregnancy occurs, Dean is pretty quick to stand up for Cindy and they set off to build a life together.

    Flash forward 6 years and Dean has changed very little, while Cindy just seems totally beaten down. They both cherish their precious daughter Frankie (played by newcomer Faith Wladyka) but their relationship is nowhere, gone, kaput. Even an attempted one-night getaway to a themed hotel doesn't provide the relief they need. Instead, it's the final straw. When Cindy repeats "I'm done" ... we don't doubt her at all.

    Director and co-writer Derek Cianfrance does a tremendous job with the details and creating the personalities of these two people. Every relationship requires work and failure can be predicted when one gives up and the other pretends all is fine. This one probably won't save any marriages, but it is worth seeing just to watch Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in action.
    9tjlarson_

    You will not see better performances this year

    No matter what else is yet to be released, you will not see two better performances this year than Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

    It's almost impossible to imagine anyone in anything coming close. In the defensive, aggressive way he turns every line of dialogue around on the speaker as a hidden affront to his insecurities, Gosling reminded me of no less than De Niro in Raging Bull as the older Dean. Playing the younger version, he channels the charm, romanticism, and recklessness of a 1960s Paul Newman.

    Williams, who has emerged as the best American actress 30 and under, pulls off a performance that recalls Gena Rowlands' work with Cassavettes. Which is not to say either is an imitation, they aren't "doing method" or aping the authenticity of previous greats. They're 100% the real deal, so good you can only compare them to the best, and they fully embody these characters in every frame. They made me believe, they made me care, they broke my heart.

    The story is a familiar one because it's the most common source of drama in life and art but avoids cliché and instead handles the subject with uncommon insight and grace. The lack of context scene-to-scene keeps the audience engaged and on their feet, filling in the intentional holes with their own experience and lending the film a universal relatability. In good times and bad, we can recognize our own triumphs and failures in love. It captures the joyous highs and devastating lows of relationships better than anything I can recall. Gosling singing while Williams tap dances, what she reveals to Gosling on the bridge and how he reacts, the scene in the doctor's office towards the end... they achieve that sense of cinematic transcendence so rare these days. They simply don't craft scenes like this or give actors roles this fully realized in Hollywood anymore.

    It's clear this was a labor of love for all involved and it paid off in spades. This is the best American film I've seen this year.
    8TheLittleSongbird

    Powerful and heartbreaking

    Blue Valentine is not an easy film to watch and it drags at times. That said, it is very powerful and heart-breaking. Two things especially make it so. One is the script, which is full of genuine emotional credibility and never falls into the trap of being too clever. The other is the story, with the time-skipping structure proving interesting and the story itself is so well-observed. Blue Valentine is shot beautifully yet with a lot of grit, and the soundtrack is amazing, for one it is one of 2010's best soundtracks. The film is also sharply directed, and the film instead of straightforwardly tracing the rise and fall of their relationship actually contrasts the young couple's hopeful beginnings with their subsequent grinding domestic discord. Some mayn't like this approach, I found it incredibly interesting and thought it worked wonders, considering how much effort was made into making this approach credible. The performances from Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams are simply wonderful, their characters are not the most sympathetic characters in the world, nor I don't think were they intended to be, but the performances themselves and the chemistry I couldn't fault. Overall, a very powerful and moving film. 8/10 Bethany Cox
    9dharmendrasingh

    Is romantic love the ultimate form of masochism?

    Director Derek Cianfrance may wish to stop wasting his talent on TV and make films his full time occupation. Cinema could use him. His 'Blue Valentine' studies the breakdown of a marriage through beautiful and heartbreaking juxtaposed scenes of past joy and optimism with present scenes of misery and depression. Flitting back and forth in the marriage, it asks: Is romantic love the ultimate form of masochism?

    Fine young actors Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams play Dean and Cindy, who unite through a dogged courtship. Dean is easy-going, happy-go-lucky and content in his removal and packing company. He is chary of formal education, but has a philosopher's outlook. Cindy is sexually over-active and, although occasionally frolicsome, is more mature than Dean. About five years on, romance becomes repulsion, and their marriage becomes one of inconvenience.

    Make no mistake, this is uncomfortable viewing – not the sex, which serves the story quite well – but the paranoia, pettiness and pugnacity in the couple's interaction. They reach their nadir when he practically begs for affection, and she pleads with him to be more ambitious.

    No two actors have complemented each other this well for some time. In an age where vapid acting is vogue, Gosling is a novelty. He is very charming, yet he has a mournful countenance, and possesses a James Dean-like vulnerability. He'd be my poster-on-the-wall if I were 13.

    I can't get that entrancing scene where Dean serenades Cindy out of my head. Dean's philosophical outpourings may be interpreted by some as drivel, but more sensitive viewers will detect the shattering honesty. A memorable maxim: 'Girls spend their whole life looking for Prince Charming and then marry the guy who's got a good job and is gunna stick around.'

    We go to the movies – many of us – to escape real life. Comfortable as voyeurs, we let our favourite stars distract us and we forget our worries. But 'Blue Valentine' shows a truth no cinema can shield us from. It mustn't be missed.

    www.scottishreview.net
    8MidnightDrivr

    Finally, a realistic romantic movie

    Love is not only a product that always turns out great. Love is also not a energy that always lives forever. Even with the greatest memories, one doesn't necessarily hold on a love pattern with another person for his or her entire life. I was happy that Blue Valentine showed that side of love. Love can be filled with hatred. Love can express jealousy. It's a strong feeling, so why wouldn't it arise other strong emotions?

    Blue Valentine represents realisticly a failing relationship. From the over-the-shoulder perspective, the depth of field mainly focusing on character and the exceptionnal acting by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, it felt like you couldn't stand being in that relationship. It was so real.

    Also, kudos to the soundtrack.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The scenes in the "past" when Dean and Cindy are falling in love were shot first, in three weeks. After this, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams spent a month together in a rented house to age themselves in preparation for the "present" scenes. They spent a lot of their time grocery shopping, cooking dinner and learning to pick fights with each other.
    • Goofs
      After the argument at Cindy's workplace, Dean's necklace is visibly broken with the chain hanging down the front of his shirt. In the next shot, the necklace is intact again.
    • Quotes

      Dean: I feel like men are more romantic than women. When we get married, we marry, like, one girl, 'cause we're resistant the whole way until we meet one girl and we think, "I'd be an idiot if I didn't marry this girl. She's so great." But it seems like girls get to a place where they just kinda pick the best option or something. I know girls that get married. They're like, "Oh, he's got a good job." I mean they spend their whole life looking for Prince Charming and then they marry the guy who's got a good job and is gonna stick around.

    • Crazy credits
      The initial credits, showing major cast and crew, play over a montage of stills from the film and clips of fireworks.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Summer Special 2010/11 (2010)
    • Soundtracks
      Unicorn Tears
      Written and Performed by Ryan Gosling

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    FAQ21

    • How long is Blue Valentine?Powered by Alexa
    • What is the Origin of the Title of the Movie?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 28, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Australia)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Triste San Valentín
    • Filming locations
      • Carbondale, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Incentive Filmed Entertainment
      • Silverwood Films
      • Hunting Lane Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $9,706,328
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $193,728
      • Jan 2, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $15,440,333
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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