Movie Review: Ex-Husbands

 

Michael's Movie Grade: B

A very effective dramedy. 

This film tells the story of a man struggling as he is going through a divorce. To get his mind off of everything, he decides to take a vacation to Mexico, only to find out that is 35-year-old son is having his bachelor party in the same place he is staying. The messy divorce is only the tip of the iceberg for what this character is going through and in lesser hands this movie could have simply been unpleasant and relentlessly depressing. However, director/writer Noah Pritzker gives this movie a low-key charm that keeps the movie from falling into this trap. While there are scenes that feel like an emotional punch to the gut, there are also quiet calm moments, when I simply enjoyed spending time with these characters. Many of these scenes such as the dad meeting new friends on his vacation or his two sons really taking some time to bond with each other as well as their dad, are just as emotionally resonant as the melancholier moments. The reason both these charming moments and the sadder moments work is that we truly connect with our main characters. Part of this is that they are written in a very complex and well thought out way. They are very flawed, but this is because they are simply human not because they are bad people. We very much see ourselves in both their virtues and their flaws. The look at the oldest son's struggles with depression and self-worth are especially well written and examined. Great performances from Griffin Dunne, Miles Heizer and James Norton only help to further humanize these characters. 

I do feel that for a dramedy, the comedy is not this film's strongest suit. There are some moments that made me smile and chuckle here, but I never once laughed out loud as I felt I was supposed to. I also felt that the oldest son's friends were very bland and underdeveloped. We are supposed to believe that these friendships mean a lot to him, but this is hard when these friendships never feel fully realized. 

Despite its flaws, this is a very emotional effective and moving dramedy. 

-Michael J. Ruhland