The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him (2013)

Told from the male perspective, the story of a couple trying to reclaim the life and love they once knew and pick up the pieces of a past that may be too far gone.

Director:

Ned Benson

Writer:

Ned Benson

Stars:

James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain, Nina Arianda

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James McAvoy	...	Conor Ludlow
Jessica Chastain	...	Eleanor Rigby
Nina Arianda	...	Alexis
Viola Davis	...	Professor Lillian Friedman
Bill Hader	...	Stuart
Ciarán Hinds	...	Spencer Ludlow
Isabelle Huppert	...	Mary Rigby
Nikki M. James	...	Sia
Jeremy Shamos	...	Evangelist
Marta Milans	...	Phoebe
Christian Coulson	...	Dine & Ditch Guy
Isabelle McNally	...	Dine & Ditch Girl
Brendan Donaldson	...	Casimir Waiter
Musto Pelinkovicci	...	Ukrainian Cabbie
Johnathan Fernandez	...	Bar Fight Guy

Storyline

A woman and man seemingly so in love finds their marriage is shaken to the core when life throws them a devastating curve. Now this New York couple must try to understand each other as they cope with loss and attempt to reclaim the life and love they once had.

---

Plot Keywords:

break up | new york city | suicide attempt | bar owner | death of child | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief drug use

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ned Benson originally intended for the part of Eleanor Rigby to be much smaller and enigmatic. After Jessica Chastain read the script and demanded to know more about Eleanor's back-story he created an entire section devoted to her character's perspective.

---

Quotes

Eleanor Rigby: I love you.
Conor Ludlow: I know.

---

Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Jessica Chastain/Jeffrey Tambor/Chris Brown (2014)

---

Soundtracks

The Lucky One
Written by Tomas Costanza, Jacquelyn Willard, Ashley Levy, 'Nikki Thompson' and Mike London
Performed by Jacquelyn Willard
Courtesy of Killingsworth Recording Company

User Reviews

Emotionally lacking

A frustrating chapter in the Eleanor Rigby saga, Him sees the focus laid almost solely onto James McAvoy's struggling bar/restaurant owner Conor as he tries to keep both his business and marriage to the inwardly tortured Eleanor afloat.

What frustrates most about Him is that it's always close to breaking into affecting territory yet is always bought down by a strange sense of distance between the audience and the characters and McAvoy's Conor never truly becomes someone where wholeheartedly invested in even though his by no means a bad person. Him paints Conor as the victim of a no doubt hard trial, a man who wants nothing more than his wife to love him once more and to have her back no matter the cost.

McAvoy's performance is up to his usual standards but there's little questioning we've seen him engage more in numerous other projects. Chastain is strong support but is barely sighted in the films 90 minute or so run time and the majority of backup is from Game of Thrones guest actor Ciaran Hinds and quality character actor Bill Hader. It would've been great for director Ned Bensen to allow us into the history and mindset of Conor more so, therefore getting more emotional punch from a film that as a standalone doesn't add up to a satisfying whole.

2 and a half customer chase downs out of 5

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$109,144

Company Credits

Production Co:

Unison Films, Myriad Pictures, Kim and Jim Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1