8. Take This Waltz
Can you recall that awkward moment where the only couple in a room of many proceeds to aggressively show their affections in full view? Multiple that fivefold and you’ve got the feeling of the majority of Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, an often cringe-inducingly awkward peek at the cutesy, the silence, the arguments and the seemingly bizarre daily rituals of a domestic household.
So authentic are some scenes on display that one might as well be peeking in through their neighbour’s bedroom window. For Margot (Michelle Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogen) life is a comfortable and loving but a rather benign affair that is defined more by safeness than adventure and openness – that is until Margot begins to develop feelings for the adventurous artist across the street.
In addition to the genuine dialogue, Take This Waltz is interesting because it is not about the repercussions of breaking one’s vows but rather the soul-crushing internal struggle inherent with even considering it. Williams is as stellar as always as the timid (but tempted) aspiring writer and though it may seem like a traditional performance on the surface if you look over the catalogue of her work this is nothing like any turn she has given before – this is a fully rendered individual.
Rogen is the biggest surprise though, easily providing his best dramatic performance and one of the best of the summer, hand down. He is sweet and naïve at one point, a charming rouge at others, but also devastating as things come to a head closer to the final act.
This drama is certainly not a film for everyone and really not an overly enjoyable sit to be honest, but for viewers looking to be challenged and provided by a lasting examination of fidelity, Take This Waltz has few equals.
7. Bernie
An effeminate assistant funeral director meets an “armadillo gun” in Bernie, the utterly unique pseudo-documentary, tragicomedy from director Richard Linklater which extracts its narrative from the real-life murder of 81-year-old Marjorie Nugen in the small town of Carthage, Texas in 1998.
This is a wry, subtle comedy effort that rides almost exclusively on a blindingly charismatic performance from Jack Black who throws himself into the titular character of Bernie with utter conviction – there is no Nacho Libre here.
What really makes Bernie a standalone (a gem in the true-crime movie canon) is the inclusion of interview footage from actual citizens of Carthage who are as equally funny as Black with their obscure southern colloquialisms and colourful slang.
Even after being charged with the murder (to which he confesses without duress) many citizens remain adamant that either Bernie is innocent, still needs their support or that the bitter old widow Nugen deserved it. It’s a hilariously offbeat approach and not only adds a level of non-manipulative sympathy for this semi-fictitious-real-life-character but provides a healthy dose of irony especially when it comes to the nature of the legal system.
Bernie has been holding steady in limited release over the summer (and is one of the season’s most successful sleepers), but I suspect the unremarkable title and marriage of actor and subject matter has put this film in a sort of limbo that has turned off normal fans of Black while simultaneously alienating art house audiences for the same reason. I say, don’t let any of these elements fool you into thinking this isn’t a wonderful film.
Black gives one of his very best performances and Mathew McConaughey is hilarious as the DA overwhelmed with disbelief that a town would lovingly support one of their own even when they had shot an old lady four times in the back. Though not laugh out loud funny at every turn, you won’t see a movie like Bernie very often.
