Movie Reaction: The Wife

Formula: Collette + 100 Years

Thanks to the weirdest possible Thanksgiving calendar, there was an extra weekend at the end of November this year that didn't get any significant new releases and, as always, that first weekend of December was ignored by the studios (It's assumed that people are still catching up on the Thanksgiving movies). That's all good and well if you aren't a mad man who sees everything right away. I am though. So, my options were even more dire than usual this weekend. I'd seen everything at the two closest local theaters. I wasn't about to see Johnny English Returns or Smallfoot at the next closest theater after that (a discount theater). I'm too stubborn about keeping up my streak (a movie a week since August 2012), so I had to see something. These are the kind of restraints that have led me to some of my favorite movies. I end up considering a movie I wouldn't normally see, and that often turns out very well. It's how I saw Denial and Eye in the Sky in 2016. It's also how I saw The D-Train, so it's not always a success. This week it led me to a quiet re-release of The Wife from earlier this year.

The Wife tells the story of the wife of an author who just won the Nobel Prize in Literature. It's set in 1992 for some reason. I guess it's when the novel this is based on is set. And before you ask: no, this isn't based on actual events. Derek Walcott (who we all know was the actual Nobel Laureate in 1992) doesn't have to worry about his name getting dragged through the mud. The film mainly takes place in Sweden, as Joan (Glen Close) and her husband, Joe (Jonathan Pryce), go through all the ceremonies tied to winning the Nobel prize. Joan bristles at all the attention her husband is getting. The reasons for this crystallize throughout the film. It could be years of being a homemaker while he gets the spotlight. It could be her own dreams of being an author back in the day. It could be his not so subtle womanizing. Or it could be something different or more.

The reason to see this movie is Glen Close. She's just terrific. In a world where more people appreciated Glen Close, this would be a strong play for her to finally win an Oscar. Her performance has so much too it. She's charming. She's reserved. She's lacerating. She's stewing. There's always something going on, even if she isn't doing anything. I've missed a lot of Close's best work, but this is the best thing I've ever seen her in. She has, perhaps, my favorite line of the year late in the movie when she's asked what her occupation is. I think the trailer even uses the line, but I loved it in context even more. Jonathan Pryce is very good at looking outmatched by her. I mean that as a compliment. The point of his character is that she always seems to have the high ground on him. He's not a bad man. He's a weak man. When the two actors do go head to head, they have the marvelous ability to be at each other's throats one second then pushing all that aside for more important things the next. I believe the history of that relationship. The story occasionally shift to flashbacks of Joan and Joe when they were younger, played by Annie Starke* and Harry Lloyd. They aren't bad, but they do make you appreciate just how good the two senior actors are.

*Glen Close's daughter. I only found this out during my proof-reading.

Self-awareness isn't necessarily an asset for a movie. Pointing out that something is a cliche doesn't then excuse a movie from being a cliche. That's very true of The Wife. When the story really reveals itself, it feels very familiar. That sneaking suspicion you get early on in the movie turns out to be right on the mark. Where the movie lost me is how much it spelled things out. There's a great version of this movie that hints at a lot of things, confirms the truth maybe 50% of the way, and leaves a lot of fun questions about the nature of authorship and the meaning of the phrase "behind every great man is a great woman". The Wife removes all those questions and is weaker because of it.

The Wife is a movie you should see if you want to watch Glen Close act circles around people for 100 minutes. It's a thoughtful examination of the spouse who stands off to the side, and by the end, it's about something more. Despite some of my frustration with how much it verbalizes the conflict, it all sets things up for a quietly perfect ending that nearly makes up for it.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend