Trust the Man

Bart Freundlich's romantic comedy plays like bargain-basement Woody Allen, notable only for offering us two squabbling couples rather than one, and being considerably more sour and shrill than most examples of the genre. The four NYC lead characters are Rebecca (Freundlich's real-life wife Julianne Moore), a respected film actress rehearsing a play at Lincoln Center; her husband Tom (David Duchovny), a stay-at-home dad to their young children; Rebecca's undisciplined brother Tobey (Billy Crudup); and his long-time girlfriend Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a secretary and would-be children's book author. Trouble arises when the two men take up with other women and their wronged partners respond with predictable vehemence. We might care about the characters' plight if all four weren't written and played as such annoying jerks and the supporting roles weren't all sitcom caricatures. Trust the Man aims for sophistication but achieves only Big Apple archness, reaching its nadir in an elaborate reconciliation scene set at the premiere of Rebecca's play, which is presumably intended as a send-up of the extravagant happy endings commonplace in romantic comedies but is so badly constructed, clumsily directed, and stridently acted that it looks genuinely embarrassing for the actors and is painful for the audience to watch. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director Bart Freundlich and costar David Duchovny, a 13-minute “Reel Love” making-of featurette, four deleted scenes with optional commentary (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a dismal romantic comedy.] (F. Swietek)