XX/XY

Plot synopsis:
Two college students, Sam (Maya Stange) and Thea (Kathleen Robertson), meet Coles (Mark Ruffalo), an animator, at a party, and their mutual attraction leads to a passionate and awkward night together. They form an unstable friendship, and continue to push their sexual boundaries. Soon, their friendships are tested by Sam and Coles' romance and Thea's increasingly reckless behavior. Inevitably, their relationships dissolve due to fear, resentment and mistrust on all sides.
Eight years later, they reunite. Coles, now an animator for a high-profile ad agency, lives with Claire (Petra Wright), his girlfriend of five years. Thea, the former wild-child is happily married to Miles (David Thornton), with whom she shares ownership of a very successful and flourishing restaurant. Sam has returned to Manhattan from London after breaking off her engagement. Upon reconnecting, the three are drawn back into their old and complicated dynamic. They are soon forced to confront the true meaning of commitment and love, something they avoided as young adults.

Tags: romantic, boring, flashback

Review:
It's very bland, rather monotonous and sorely lacking in entertainment value.XX/XY is the story of a young man, Coles, played by Mark Ruffalo with a silly mustache.
Coles meets young college student Sam. That would be a girl Sam by the way, played by Maya Strange.
In the end, while I appreciated the skillful realism of the portrait, I couldn't get over the fact that I just wouldn't care about these people in real life.
In the process, he makes us follow the three principals, Coles, Maya and Thea throughout almost ten years to see what become of the characters.
In securing the services of Mark Ruffalo for the pivotal role of Coles, the director is blessed as well with wonderful performances all around.
There's never a moment wrong in Mr. Ruffalo's portrayal of Coles.The story begins in 1993 as the original friends, Coles, Thea and Maya explore their sexual awakenings in unorthodox ways.
Coles is the man who lusts after both room mates, but it's obvious that Maya is the one that gets the best of him until their separation.As the story turns to the present time.
Coles is trying to hold it open, but Claire succeeds in closing it, and as a chapter in their relationship has ended.The two principals, Maya Strange, as Sam, and Kathleen Robertson, as Thea, are excellent as the college girls that love to have fun.
How is it possible for an actor to say the line "there is no room for honesty in a healthy relationship" with a straight face?The characters, story, and even the film's style were all unbearable.
By the end of the film, I wanted to take Mark Rufalo's character aside and give him some good advice, as follows: "Grow up!".
This one doesn't have the Oscar Wilde/Noel Coward wit or shocking vulgarity of Closer, but it does have amazing true-to-life performances, especially from Petra Wright (who has an aristocratic beauty similar to Mimi Rogers in Someone to Watch Over Me), Kathleen Robertson, who previously had a field day as an innocent bigamist in Gregg Araki's Splendor, Maya Strange (not Strange), who displays a vulnerability much like Natasha Gregson Wagner in some other independent films (what happened to her?).
And of course Mark Ruffalo, an undecided everyman for our times, like the dog in Aesop who loses his bone because he thinks he sees a better one.
The central character is Coles (Mark Ruffalo), a libertine who draws artwork and wants to be a filmmaker.
He is the perfect anti-hero, and his character represents so many people that we all know, trying to settle into serious relationships.
A tale of 3 twenty somethings who meet at a party and end up having a threesome.two of the trilogy end up in an "open relationship", until feelings for each other get in the way and they end up drifting apart.fast forward 10 years and the trio meet up again, their lives have taken them on different routes but this meeting makes them realise that they never really moved on from each other, and this could have a devastating effect on their "new" lives unless they come to terms with their feelings and sort out some problems that first surfaced years before.Watchable relationship yarn, but the real problem is that all the characters are quite dislikable therefore its hard to feel sorry for any of them, and this reflects on the film - making it hard to enjoy and making it impossible care one bit about anyone involved in it..
It's as if the writer wanted to give everybody equal screen time,  but forgot to flesh out the true love interest--Sam, played nicely by Maya Stange.
If Maya were further fleshed out as a character, the audience might actually feel satisfied by the end of this so so movie.
It seems like the massive hoard of wanna-bees graduating in mass from film schools in every state and small town think that they have to do a meaningful film about the human condition, which to them obviously means the romantic and sexual and relationship trials and tribulations and complications of, of course, themselves.Apparently, they just don't realize that nobody cares about this except .
Those younger than 20-something couldn't care less, and those older than that have already been through it and don't really care to watch for an hour and a half or more some newbie film school grad's self-absorbed, personal version of it.
Try getting some real life experience before attempting to make films for anyone except yourself.
The fact that one of the characters is a wanna-bee film writer/filmmaker shows you the extremely limited range of life experience of the would-be writer/director of this self-absorbed and boring-to-anyone-else 20-something project.Just another one on the massive pile.
The final cut gives the impression that it wasn't until the actual assembly of this film that Chick gave any thought to the sequence for many of the scenes.The bleak colors, inadequate lighting, and bland production design are depressingly consistent with the tone of the story.
I initially watched from the perspective of a Kathleen Robertson fan and was disappointed with her quite ancillary position in the story relative to Mark Ruffalo and Maya Strange.
Although promoted as the story of a "carefree threesome", Robertson's Thea is just a third wheel in the Coles (Ruffalo)-Sam (Stange) relationship.
The Coles' characterization is hard to buy into, there is just too much inconsistency as Chick tries to make him both a wimp and a "stick it to the man" rebel (I assume that this inconsistency is supposed to be the whole point for the movie).
Although Ruffalo can adequately play either character he cannot perform the impossible and weave these disparate traits into a believable person.The second half shows Coles involved in a long-term relationship with Claire (Petra Wright).
Claire's scene on the pier is the film's best moment and the one thing here that you will want to go back and view multiple times.Then again, what do I know?
I really wanted to see him mature - especially in regards to his current relationship later in the movie.
I wish I could relate to this movie, because I have a feeling the creator wanted to reach out to those who have been in and out of relationships throughout their 20's and 30's, but I was left disappointed and unmoved due to the same old characters only with different make up, hair and change of scenery..
You can count on Mark Ruffalo - irresistibly cool on the surface, perplexed underneath - in Austin Chick's not just another relationship story.
That's how good he plays his roles - his characters are of the every man: not extraordinarily handsome, nor distinguishable in voice or gait, yet he has his Mark Ruffalo air about him.
Writer-director Austin Chick's debut film "XX/XY" is a conscientious effort in telling it like it is the ordinary affairs of the heart of one man, three women.
Lucky for Cole, Claire knows him well enough and would know how to tackle love with this "never want to grow up" boy of a man.
It was brilliant casting (by Ellen Parks) of the 3 different women in Cole's life (Stange/Robertson/Wright), and of course, Mark Ruffalo - he's the one - you can count on him.
Mark Ruffalo who I just recently saw in In the Cut and Kathleen Robertson who I have seen in Scary Movie 2.The film is about Mark who plays Coles, a wanna be director who meets Sam, a simple girl who lives with her roommate, Thea, played by Robertson.
They meet again ten years later coincidentally and despite Coles being in a serious relationship, questions if he still has feelings for Sam.It's an interesting movie, but I did like it's true honest drama and human emotions.
Although I felt like I could easily see these situations on a talk show, it still wasn't a bad movie to watch.6/10.
When will we get off the idea that we watch films in order to like the people in them?).
Instead of a glossed over view of love, this movie actually goes into detail and shows both the causes and effects  of entering a relationship.It portrays love as something that has an unclear beginning and end, even as something that never really ends at all.This is so refreshing after so many movies where, after love is confessed, the credits roll and happily ever after is the only available option.These characters are often happy in love, but also confused, frightened, desperate, and unsure.The twists in this film are those that involve people growing up, but not necessarily maturing.
This is really a new kind of movie going experience, as it gives you a beautifully shot, well acted look at how real relationships work, or, rather, how they often don't..
Austin Chick's movie starts with a great shimmer, gruff Ruffalo follows an enigmatic prey in the shape of Maya Strange home, hand-held camera as much as a voyeur as he is.
What emerges is a College frat party where Ruffalo rolls around with Maya and her best girl pal Kathleen Robertson who have a greater understanding of sexual sharing than Ruffalo.Despite Ruffalo's obvious attraction to Maya, though more than willing to fool around with both, when the film fast forward's to a decade later, Ruffalo is shacked up with clean and sensible Claire in a subtle performance by Petra Wright From now, the film falls as flat as Ruffalo's new nerdy haircut.
There are so few movies that have any real insight into the way men and women relate that XX/XY was like a breath of fresh air.
It deals with that painful time from college to early thirties where many people struggle to figure out who they are and what it takes to settle down.Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count On Me) plays a spineless commitment-phobic guy who's just charming enough to skate through one sticky situation after another, wreaking havoc in the lives and hearts of all those around him.
The people who inhabit the world of this movie are far from perfect, but that's what makes them real and compelling.
It's one of those movies that will make you squirm at times (especially during the first part, which depicts their "reckless college years"), but that's because it's not scared to show things as they really are.
This movie is actually two films in one.
The first half of the movie is a coming of age (College age that is) dark drama/comedy that is filled with desperate sadistic characters.
The second half of the movie is a more settle redemption of life, ten years later in the lifes of the characters, that resembles a Woody Allen film.
This is a smaller film that starts in college with indy film vet Mark Ruffalo hooking up with two co-eds (Maya Stange and Kathleen Robertson) for a weird three way relationship...
Especially if your relationship happens to be a "Threesome" that just brings you "Closer" to the brink of insanity...This film stars Mark Ruffalo as a guy with, let's call it, "emotional problems." The story focuses on Ruffalo and a three-way relationship he had with two women in his college days.
Well, then, of course, all kinds of craziness ensues--and I'll leave that up to you to see for yourself.Here's the breakdown:The Good:--The acting is great--especially from Mark Ruffalo.--Good music.--Good character development.--Interesting story.Didn't Hurt It, Didn't Help:--Decent cinematography.--Decent atmosphere--although "lonely"--as it focuses on Mark Ruffalo's character, we get the feeling that he's really unsatisfied with his life.--Character development rather uneven from the college days to the later days.The Bad:--The characters are pretty self-centered.
It worked alright for the story, but wasn't very strong.The Ugly:--Mark Ruffalo's hairy ass.Memorable Scene:--When Mark Ruffalo is approached by a "fan" who saw the film he made--and he tells Ruffalo what he actually thought of the film.Acting: 9/10 Story: 8/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Cinematography: 7/10 Character Development: 8/10 Special Effects/Make-up: 0/10 (none) Nudity/Sexuality: 3/10 (decent sex scene in the beginning, one scene later) Violence/Gore: 0/10 (none) Dialogue: 8/10 Music: 8/10 (average for the time) Writing: 8/10 Direction: 8/10Cheesiness: 1/10 Crappiness: 0/10Overall: 8/10This is a far more somber and serious film than "Threesome" and doesn't quite have the character development of "Closer." If you like either or both of these films, you'll likely enjoy "XX/XY," and like I said, only the ending is kind of a let-down.
Mark Ruffalo doesn't deserve such a bad movie.
But even Mark Ruffalo can't save this relationship drama that plays out more like a movie of the week than an indie film.
With age does not come greater significance; the mistakes you made at 20 are just as stupid if done at 35; so don't ask me to care to any greater degree just because this time life has made it sure that you have more to lose...It could have been 'emotional' in the heady, 'youthful' stage of the film had Thea been shown to be 'serious' about her thing with Coles; but she isn't, until she suddenly turns on the taps when he admits he 'meaninglessly cheated'; and the collective seem to be angling for an outpouring of sympathy for her!
Mark Ruffalo, Maya Strange, and Kathleen Robertson star.
They're 3 college kids who open the film with a menage a trois, then 10 years later when they've matured and changed.
never being able to make up his mind).Petra Wright (Ruffalo's grown-up love interest) has a powerful speech which serves as the climax of the film.
Films like these seem to say that sex BETTER be fun if it's going to be worth all the trouble it brings.Plus, director Austin Chick never goes more than 10 minutes without a shot of Mark Ruffalo's bare behind.
One of the refreshing things that this script has to offer is the depiction of it's characters without hiding their faults and allowing them to act and speak as real people would.
Story starts out in 1993 where a young aspiring filmmaker and animator named Coles (Mark Ruffalo) meets Sam (Maya Strange) while at a party and they engage in a very clumsy menage a trois with Sam's roommate Thea (Kathleen Robertson) but it doesn't go very well.
The three of them remain close and Coles and Sam start a very passionate relationship but after time passes things get rocky when Coles admits to sleeping with another woman and then after a party getting it on with Thea!*****SPOILER ALERT***** Ten years later Coles is living in Manhattan with Claire (Petra Wright) and working in commercials but one day he bumps into Sam and after talking some they agree to get together with Thea and catch up on things.
Thea is married to a restaurant owner named Nick (Zach Shaffer) and very happy and while all of them are having dinner it's obvious that Coles has never stopped being in love and while Sam has feelings similar to his it's unknown to everyone that Claire knows what is going on between them.This film was written and directed by newcomer Austin Chick who is making his debut and his script remains sharp throughout the films duration and gives the viewer characters that are flawed but believable.
The script never gives us unreal situations and the scene early in the film of the three of them experimenting with a menage a trois illustrates this by having the character Sam flee after knowing that this is not what she wants.
For me the strongest scene in the film involves the character Claire confronting Coles after he starts talking of marriage and she tells him that she knows precisely what is going on.
This film doesn't have any real thought provoking idea's to share but it does possess a script that is both refreshing and humanly accurate in the way it deals with it's characters..
After Coles(Mark Ruffalo)spies Sam(Maya Strange)on the bus, he meets her at a college party.
Coles wants to know Sam better; but Sam wants her close friend Thea(Kathleen Robertson)to join in a three-way sexual exploration...any and every man's fantasy.
Coles is a rising star in the animation/advertising world and lives with his girlfriend Claire(Petra Wright)of five years.
That's what makes for a good movie...caring about the characters.
The college women played by Maya Strange and Kathleen Robertson, Sam and Thea, are recklessly willful and without restraint in sexual matters--the exact opposite of their counterparts 30 years before.
As a college man, meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo's character Coles has a certain charm and can be very affectionate but is essentially juvenile in his attitude toward women.
As much as he seems to love Sam, nevertheless he has sex with her best friend Thea right before her eyes, as if to deny that his relationship with Sam is anything more than sex play.
His perennial uniform continues to be the tee-shirt.No surprise that when Sam re-enters his life, it is not long before we are once again looking at Mark Ruffalo's buttocks as he has sex with Sam. Unfortunately, the worthy Claire accidentally happens upon the same scene.At the end, Sam marries someone else in haste, running away from the trouble that is sure to befall anyone who forms a relationship with the juvenile Coles.
One doubts that she will be happy in the long run.Ultimately, Sam and Thea have at least made an attempt to lead grown-up lives,but Coles remains the same boy-man that he was in college.
Coles (Mark Ruffalo) is an artist who can't seem to make a real decision in his life and, as a result, eventually loses the only woman he ever really loved to another, more decisive man.
He is a lovable young man and, Sam, the woman he meets and falls in love with, forgives and forgets his many mistakes in their relationship, until one day she has been hurt too much and leaves his life for several years.
Coles goes on with his life and begins living with another woman, Claire, whom he seems to love.