Great taboo-buster, good film

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2006)

A good movie, with a stunning performance by Heath Ledger, but not really deserving of the rave reviews it's been getting. I'm guessing it's been overpraised because it's a "brave" film that breaks taboos. About 20 years ago on TV I caught a heterosexual equivalent starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. It was called Same Time, Next Year and was, I think, adapted from a stage play. In any case, it covered much of the same ground, i.e. two lovers take the occasional break together while carrying on a family life with someone else. I should mention that I find Ang Lee's films awfully slow for the most part, and lost the will to live during Ride With The Devil. By comparison, this one's fairly compelling.