Sadly Over-hyped

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix) tries to kill himself and is rescued from drowning. He is depressed after breaking up with his fiancée for genetic reason. His parents (Isabella Rossellini, Moni Moshonov) set him up with their business partner's shy daughter Sandra Cohen (Vinessa Shaw). He's moved back in with his parents and working at their Brooklyn dry cleaners. He falls for neighbor Michelle Rausch (Gwyneth Paltrow) and starts pursuing her. She is wild, unattainable, and having an affair with her married co-worker Ronald Blatt (Elias Koteas).It could be better if Leonard is more appealing. Michelle toys with him like a sad little boy. It's definitely a more adult love triangle where it's not only about lust and obsession. It's also calculations, deceptions, and settling. It's complicated. I would have preferred a simpler nerdy Leonard out of his league with the impossibly beautiful Michelle. Instead, he's a sad and slightly unstable guy. This is interesting but not necessarily crowd pleasing.

Oh how I wish this film were as universally loved as it should be. Easily the best work of Joaquin Phoenix or Gwenyth Paltrow's career to date, this film is simply fantastic.The restaurant scene using Henry Mancini's Lujon as background music, is one of my favorite film scenes of all time. So many layers in a 3 person conversation...simply brilliant. The small things, the subtle nuance of Leonard ordering a Brandy Alexander, then being asked if he'd like a real straw, or Blatt asking Leonard about a pizza shop he recalls from the area where Leonard lives...perfect! If you've never seen it..Give it a try! You just may find yourself transfixed!!

I wanted to add another review here because I feel those praising the film don't do it justice. Two Lovers is a beautiful film. It's also a strange film that defies description. It is very different from Gray's earlier films, sharing with them only a tone of drab realism. It is painfully awkward at times, flitting between a pervading melancholy and a doomed hopefulness. But it is also touching, fragile and utterly captivating.I have just re-watched Two Lovers after seeing The Master and being reminded how wonderful Joaquin Phoenix is. I think it is fair to say he is the outstanding actor of his generation. He has that strange awkward power and charisma that the younger De Niro had in his greatest performances, you can barely watch but can't take your eyes off him. He and Gray have a truly rare chemistry and in Two Lovers both are at the very top of their game.Gwyneth Paltrow is superb as well. Her character could easily have been overplayed but she gets it just right, balancing the pain of emotional manipulation with an impossible combination of resilience and resignation.In many ways the plot of the film is far fetched but there is something about it that feels profoundly true. It's hard to say exactly what that is but that's what makes it so perfectly beautiful.

(Spoilers) The movie starts with an aborted suicide attempt by Leonard Kraditor. Leonard is in his early 30s, lives with his Jewish parents, and works for his dad's dry cleaning store. Before we know it Leonard is romantically involved with his neighbor Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Sandra, the attractive daughter of a business associate of his dad.There are many things wrong with the script; I will cover only a few of them. The thing that sinks the story from the beginning is that neither of the women that Leonard is involved with would ever give him the time of day in real life. Living with his parents, being inarticulate, and not being able to succeed in his simple job of delivering cleaning to his dad's customers would set off enough alarms for any woman to give this man wide berth. And Sandra would have known of his suicidal impulses--such things are never secret among close families. Why would Sandra, an attractive healthy woman, pursue such a loser? Leonard's room is a mess, a physical manifestation of his mind; his mother would never allow for this kind of mess in her house.At the end Leonard and Michelle, in a spur of the moment decision, are to take off to California together. You know that this is never going to happen and are just waiting for the excuse which comes in the form of Michelle's announcing that her high-dollar married lover has decided to divorce and be with her. Leonard is crushed and in despair, but instead of another suicide attempt he returns to a party and offers Sandra the diamond ring that he was going to give to Michelle. Any normal person is not going to switch emotional gears so easily, so I doubt that an emotional train wreck like Leonard would be able to do so.Isabella Rossellini is good as Leonard's mother; Joaquin Phoenix is convincing as a mumbling nerd, but not so much as a romantic partner; sadly, Gwyneth Paltrow is wasted.This is an unbelievable concoction dreamed up by screenwriters who seemingly have little understanding how real people interact.