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IMDbPro

Blue Valentine

  • 20102010
  • RR
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
196K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,631
30
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
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Romance
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.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
196K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,631
30
  • Director
    • Derek Cianfrance
  • Writers
    • Derek Cianfrance
    • Joey Curtis
    • Cami Delavigne
  • Stars
    • Ryan Gosling
    • Michelle Williams
    • John Doman
Top credits
  • Director
    • Derek Cianfrance
  • Writers
    • Derek Cianfrance
    • Joey Curtis
    • Cami Delavigne
  • Stars
    • Ryan Gosling
    • Michelle Williams
    • John Doman
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 395User reviews
    • 394Critic reviews
    • 81Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 9 wins & 56 nominations total

    Videos3

    Blue Valentine
    Trailer 1:52
    Blue Valentine
    Clip
    Clip 1:39
    Clip
    Jurnee Smollett's Valentine's Day Watchlist
    Full Episode 3:40
    Jurnee Smollett's Valentine's Day Watchlist

    Photos279

    Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Derek Cianfrance in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, and Faith Wladyka at an event for Blue Valentine (2010)
    Derek Cianfrance, Ryan Gosling, and Michelle Williams at an event for Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling at an event for Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams at an event for Blue Valentine (2010)
    Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, and Faith Wladyka at an event for Blue Valentine (2010)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ryan Gosling
    Ryan Gosling
    • Deanas Dean
    Michelle Williams
    Michelle Williams
    • Cindyas Cindy
    John Doman
    John Doman
    • Jerryas Jerry
    Faith Wladyka
    Faith Wladyka
    • Frankieas Frankie
    Mike Vogel
    Mike Vogel
    • Bobbyas Bobby
    Marshall Johnson
    • Marshallas Marshall
    Jen Jones
    • Grammaas Gramma
    Maryann Plunkett
    Maryann Plunkett
    • Glendaas Glenda
    James Benatti
    • Jamieas Jamie
    Barbara Troy
    • Joas Jo
    Carey Westbrook
    • Charleyas Charley
    Ben Shenkman
    Ben Shenkman
    • Dr. Feinbergas Dr. Feinberg
    Eileen Rosen
    • Mimias Mimi
    Enid Graham
    Enid Graham
    • Professoras Professor
    Ashley Gurnari
    • Checkeras Checker
    Jack Parshutich
    • Billyas Billy
    Samii Ryan
    • Amandaas Amanda
    Mark Benginia
    • Conciergeas Concierge
    • Director
      • Derek Cianfrance
    • Writers
      • Derek Cianfrance
      • Joey Curtis
      • Cami Delavigne
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      When filming the argument scenes, director Derek Cianfrance gave instructions to Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling individually, without the knowledge of the other, in order to create more tension between Dean and Cindy. For Williams, Cianfrance would instruct her to try to leave the room, use any way to break out of the argument with Gosling, etc. For Gosling, Cianfrance would tell him to use any means to persuade, get Williams attention, etc. Gosling stated it was a new and interesting process as it became a tug game on set.
    • Goofs
      All the cars driven by the actors had Pennsylvania license plates on the front. That is inaccurate, since in Pennsylvania you only get one license plate, which goes on the back.
    • Quotes

      Dean: In my experience, the prettier a girl is, the more nuts she is, which makes you insane. You're probably nutty, coo-coo crazy. It's not your fault, you know? Just like, everybody treats you different, you know? Like, you make jokes and they're not funny, but people laugh anyway. That's gotta make you nuts.

      Cindy: I like how you can compliment and insult somebody at the same time, in equal measure.

    • 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

    User reviews395

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    "Blue Valentine" is a realistic and somewhat depressing film about falling in and out of love.
    "Blue Valentine" is truly an independent film. Everything from the way it is shot, to the acting, to the storyline, to the realness screamed indie! "Blue Valentine" has a simple storyline. It's a movie about two people, Cindy (Williams) and Dean (Gosling) who fall in love. I will warn you now that this is not your typical love story. This film shows everything from how a relationship forms to how it can turn into a utter nightmare. "Blue Valentine" is realistic, full of raw emotions, and showcases two great performances but does that mean it's a great film? Well I will break that down for you in the next few paragraphs.

    Just think of "Blue Valentine" as a independent or poor man's version of "Revolutionary Road" with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. "Blue Valentine," as I stated in the above, is a very independent film. Cindy and Dean portray the average blue collar American couple. From the trailer, you don't really know what the film is about besides the fact that there will be a random and somewhat humorous song and dance number by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling in the film. The movie is about falling in and out of love. It shows you how once you begin to live life, work, and have a child how life changes and not always for the better. It's a very raw and in your face kind of film. Why this film got slapped with an NC-17 rating is beyond me? There are some realistic love scenes in the film, however, nothing to raw that warrants that harsh of a rating. I don't get why MPAA got so tough on this film.

    I always enjoy Ryan Gosling in his independent projects and this one is no different. He was a really good hipster in this film. Without giving too much away from the film, there is one scene where him and Williams are arguing and the emotion is so real and powerful. Gosling hasn't been this solid in a film since "The Believer." As for Michelle Williams, well she is another great actress. I always enjoyed her work but like Gosling, she hasn't really had many mainstream hits. I think Williams is a talented independent actress but I don't know if she will ever be a huge scarlet. It's OK though because a lot of the best actors and actresses never make their way to being huge leads. Williams will hopefully be noticed this year for her performance in this film.

    This film was written by three different people and when there are normally more than two writers attached to a project, I tend to worry. Why it took three people to write such a simple screenplay seems odd but maybe Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, and Cami Delavigne put a little bit of their relationship experience in the screenplay. I don't know for sure but this looked and felt like a realistic story at times like the writers had a similar experience. Gosling's character seemed a bit out there and was never really explained that well in the film. I didn't quite get why they didn't do a better background on his character. Also, there was no middle of the relationship. It seemed to jump from good to bad and that hurt the chemistry of the two leads. Cianfrance also directed the film. He had some really good scenes where he captured the emotions of the characters perfectly but than others where he didn't do so well. Also, it should be stated that most of the scenes in the film were written and then shot flashback to the present. It fit the film well and helped overlook some of the relationship potholes in the film.

    Overall, "Blue Valentine" was a depressing, heart wrenching, and well acted piece of cinema. It didn't blow my mind as much as I would have liked it too but than again maybe I was expecting too much from a film with an 8 million dollar budget. As previously stated, "Blue Valentine" can simply be summed up as a poor man's version of "Revolutionary Road." With no disrespect to Williams or Gosling, Kate and Leo pulled the trouble relationship off better. While Gosling and Williams were both extremely believable at times and showcased some raw emotion, their chemistry wasn't as strong as the I would have liked I think as the characters got older, they just seemed so different from one another. Gosling got so weird as he got older and since it wasn't truly explained why, the film lost points for that. I think the big missing element was the storyline in the middle of the relationship, which was there but not detailed. The story seemed to go from bad to good with no middle. This was the film's weakness and why the two leads didn't have has good of chemistry at times. If you can ignore a few missing plot holes and try not to focus on the inconsistency of the two leads chemistry with one another than I would say you should really be able to appreciate the film. I am trying not to be too harsh because I did enjoy the film a lot and it featured some terrific scenes even if they were extremely depressing.

    MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Blue Valentine" is a 7 out of 10. Not the best film of the year but definitely a realistic and raw look at relationships.
    helpful•77
    53
    • ScottDMenzel
    • Oct 24, 2010

    FAQ1

    • 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
      • Corazones rotos
    • 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

    Technical specs

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

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