GRIFFIN & PHOENIX

I think Amanda Peet is a highly underrated actress.

I’ve enjoyed her work before, and I think she’s sitting on the cusp of greatness… just waiting for someone to give her a meaty dramatic role so that she can knock the socks off audiences and demonstrate the full spectrum of her abilities. Unfortunately, this tepid offering isn’t it and, although Peet is undeniably likable and heartbreaking in it, the movie itself is decidedly meh.

A remake of the 1976 Peter Falk/Jill Clayburgh tragiromance, the film tracks the initially hesitant and ultimately life-altering relationship that blossoms between its titular characters: terminally ill Griffin (Dermot Mulroney) and university adminstrator Sara(h) Phoenix (Peet). While the premise sounds promising, and the original film had audiences weeping, this version shoots itself in the foot by having a “secret” that’s so blindingly obvious even the most clueless viewer should know what that secret is about two minutes into the film, when the characters meet at a lecture about death and dying. And if you don’t want to know the secret, or aren’t able to guess it already, read no further in this review. Stop now.

You have been warned.

Peet’s character is, surprise!, also terminally ill…a fact that is revealed in a totally anticlimactic and contrived way about halfway through the film, so writing it here isn’t really a spoiler. The story then moves into standard-issue fare about having life affirmed through death and making sure to live life to its fullest while you still can. Thing is, none of it is fresh or new or reimagined in any way, and – like a checklist – I began mentally ticking off the events to come…correctly! Some of the “surprises” are entirely non-surprising, and I’m pretty sure at least one of them was featured most recently in the slightly similarly themed Sweet November starring Keanu and Charlize.

But like Sweet November, which critics trashed but I still liked, this movie does feature two winning leads. (All you Keanu haters, move along!) Mulroney, with his sad, puppy-dog eyes and slow drawl, is an endearing tragic hero. His character is sort of deflated until he meets Phoenix and she, not surprisingly, becomes the light of his life. Kudos to director Ed Stone for casting Peet in one of her few leading roles and giving her a number of layers to play. Yes, she’s beautiful, but here she’s also able to show vulnerability, anger, humor and heart. It’s a testament to both actors that I found myself rooting for them even as I was rolling my eyes at what was unfolding onscreen.

I have no idea if this film has distribution or will wind up heading straight-to-DVD, but I think it might actually do better on the home-viewing front. That way, if you’re moved by it and find yourself sobbing uncontrollably, you can do so privately and without having to face the world with red, puffy eyes as soon as it’s over. And, if you’re not moved by it, you can find comfort in the fact that you didn’t shell out $12 or more to watch two great actors in a somewhat disappointing outing.