The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee

The Private Lives Of Pippa Lee

Synopsis

A movie based of a novel by Rebecca Miller, where Pippa Lee is a picture of a perfect wife and female. Mother to successful twins, devoted wife, adored by friends, you wouldn’t think she would have a past. In the wake of her husband decision, who is 30 years older than her, to move to a retirement home Pippa unravels her secrets and flirts with her wild side.

Official Site: www.pippalee.com

Singapore Release Date: 12th November 2009, Thursday

Running Time: 93 minutes

Ratings: G

Genre: Drama

Cast: Robin Wright Penn, Alan Arkin, Keanu Reeves, Monica Bellucci, Julianne Moore, Maria Bello, Blake Lively, Winona Ryder

Crew: Director (Rebecca Miller), Producer (Brad Pitt, Lemore Syvan), Writers (Rebecca Miller), Cinematography (Declan Quinn) and Editing (Sabine Hoffmann)

The Trailer

The Review

This movie seems like a chick movie since it’s written and directed by Rebecca Miller from her own book, plus the main role, and supporting cast are females, it’s actually a movie for all, as the film tells of how one survives a checkered past, for which I’m sure many of us can relate to.

It has stellar cast, but it was Robin Penn Wright playing Pippa who stole the show. Nonetheless the supporting roles by Maria Bello as Pippa’s drug addicted mother was another gem, and the rest of the cast such as Julianne Moore, Alan Arkin Blake Lively, and Winona Ryder held their own.

There was no cardboard cutouts characters as the movie tells a complex, multi-layered life story of a woman who seems detached from the world around her.

Pippa (Robin Penn Wright) has just moved into a suburban neighbourhood with her publisher husband (Alan Arkin) set on retirement, who is far older than the beautiful Pippa, with her two grown-up twins, Ben and Grace (Ryan McDonald and Zoe Kazan). Behind this facade of marital bliss is another side of Pippa’s secret past.

The movie weaves through a series of flashbacks, and how Pippa ended up in her current arrangement, while is told concurrently with the main narrative.

As much as the book was highly satisfactory for me, the film was forgettable. The movie to me is just another family drama, with talented ensemble cast, but feels largely loose narratively. It just didn’t quite come together as a movie.

The Good

• Intelligent film
• Provides a hopeful end
• Keanu Reeves surprisngly good

The Bad

• Read the book, forget the film
• Watchable but nothing memorable
• Wish Julianne Moore appearance was longer

Editor’s Ratings