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Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Leonard

It's also delightful that these characters are dressed in real-people clothes, with untucked shirt-tails and frumpy coats. The sets are likewise realistically messy and kitschy and cluttered. Not the movie-cute version of an overgrown man-child's bedroom in his parents' home, but something that would really make a guy cringe to have a woman see. These details are refreshing touches.

I wish I could say the same for all the plot details. Some are too convenient or contrived. Some you see coming a long ways off (like that Leonard will return to that opening-scene water, despite, and especially because of, what he told his mom). And a few scenes or bits of dialogue are overdramatic, leading me and the rest of the audience at my screening to laugh in a few places I don't think we were intended to laugh.

There are good intentions here, and good ingredients. But the sum total feels less like a passionate lover and more like a passing crush.

Talk About It

1. 1. What do you think Leonard is drawn to in each woman? What do you think they see in him?
2. 2. List the other characters in the film who are also torn. What common threads run through these conflicts?
3. 3. What do you think Michelle's intentions are toward Leonard throughout the film?
4. 4. Do you think Reuben and Ruth were good parents to their bipolar son, Leonard?
5. 5. Were you satisfied with the ending? What do you think were Leonard's motivations for his choice?

The Family Corner

Two Lovers is rated R for language, some sexuality, and brief drug use. There are quite a few f-bombs, a few sex scenes (all extra-marital), a scene where Michelle pops a pill (not just an Aleve), and a brief boob shot. This certainly isn't a film for young viewers, and it would be tricky to find redeeming conversation starters for mature teens afterward.

Photos © Copyright Magnolia Pictures

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