Blue Valentine (7.6/10)

Blue Valentine is a 2010 romance-drama starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, and both of them are amazing. Their performances feel raw and lived-in, and they're easily the strongest part of the film. The plot just wasn't it for me, though. Watching a relationship fall apart is the whole point, but the story never gave me enough to hold onto beyond the two leads. It's a heavy, draining watch, and it was a hard movie to get through. It sits in the same space as Revolutionary Road and Marriage Story, films where the acting carries a story about a marriage unraveling. If you want to see two great actors at work, it's worth a look. Just know what you're signing up for. "Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) live a quiet life in a modest neighborhood. To the casual observer, everything appears normal, if a bit subdued. But a closer examination reveals a couple caught in a downward spiral. They appear to have the world at their feet at the outset of the relationship. However, his lack of ambition and her retreat into self-absorption cause potentially irreversible cracks in their marriage."