Verdict
Summary
A simple, down-to-earth character study that doesn’t answer any questions, but only shows a snapshot, Falling in Love is neither profound or heart breaking, but it is easy to watch and appreciate for very capable, but not overly complex performances. The script by Michael Cristofer is simplistic, while director Ulu Grossbard tries hard to get in the characters’ heads and hearts, but somehow the film remains aloof and impenetrable. My favorite aspect of the film was Dave Grusin’s lovely jazz score, which I would say is the most enduring element of the movie.
Plot:
Two married people find love and intimacy with each other.
Review:
Two New Yorkers have a daily commute on the same train, and they happen to cross paths on Christmas Eve, setting a fuse for what will eventually be a life changing relationship for them both over the ensuing year. Frank (Robert DeNiro) is a happily married husband, father, and architect with a best friend (played by Harvey Keitel in a small supporting role), and Molly (Meryl Streep) is an employed artist, also happily married woman whose father is dying. On the fated Christmas Eve when they meet at a bookstore, they accidentally swap their purchases, which then gives them an excuse to say hello and laugh about it the next time they meet on the train. They clearly like each other, and being mature and married adults, they are both cautious of what they hesitantly walk themselves into, which is a gradually forming intimate relationship with each other. They just talk on the train once a week, sitting next to each other and enjoying each others’ company, and then they eventually take it to the next level and get off the train and have lunch. Then, it becomes a regular thing when they have lunch together all the time, and spend hours together when they see each other. They begin to fall in love with each other, but not lust, taking it slow and steady. They do try to make love to each other, but that doesn’t go the way either of them intend, and they stick to intimacy without being physical with each other. Over the course of the year, their affair is eventually discovered by each of their spouses, and it ruins one marriage, but not the other, and yet there are no resolutions for these two who have fallen in love.
A simple, down-to-earth character study that doesn’t answer any questions, but only shows a snapshot, Falling in Love is neither profound or heart breaking, but it is easy to watch and appreciate for very capable, but not overly complex performances. The script by Michael Cristofer is simplistic, while director Ulu Grossbard tries hard to get in the characters’ heads and hearts, but somehow the film remains aloof and impenetrable. My favorite aspect of the film was Dave Grusin’s lovely jazz score, which I would say is the most enduring element of the movie.
Fun City Editions recently released a Blu-ray of Falling in Love, and it looks darn nice in a 4K remastered transfer. There’s an audio commentary, an image gallery, and a booklet insert in the package.
